A fiery collision between a Japan Coast Guard aircraft and a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday left five people dead and dozens injured.
All 379 passengers and crew on board the passenger plane were safely evacuated after it burst into flames upon landing. However, five of the six crew members on the smaller coast guard plane, which was en route to assist earthquake relief efforts, perished in the crash.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but officials believe the two planes collided on the runway or a taxiway after the passenger plane touched down. Television footage showed the JAL airliner moving along the runway before a large eruption of orange flames and black smoke.
Passengers onboard the doomed flight described terrifying moments of smoke filling the cabin and frantic efforts to escape. An adult male passenger told reporters, “I thought, ‘this could be really bad.'” He further recounted the chaotic evacuation, stating, “An announcement said doors in the back and middle could not be opened. So everyone disembarked from the front.”
Another passenger, a woman, described the harrowing scene inside the plane as the fire intensified after landing. “It was getting hot inside the plane, and I thought, to be honest, I would not survive,” she said in comments shown on broadcaster NHK.
The coast guard plane had been preparing to fly to Ishikawa prefecture to deliver supplies after the devastating New Year’s Day earthquake, which killed at least 48 people. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised the deceased crew members, calling them “employees who had a high sense of mission and responsibility for the affected areas.”
This tragic accident marks the first major commercial aviation disaster in Japan in decades. The nation’s worst aviation accident occurred in 1985, when a JAL jumbo jet crashed in central Gunma region, killing 520 passengers and crew.
Thorough Investigation Underway
The transport ministry has launched a full investigation into the cause of the crash, including reviewing communication between the flights and air traffic control. The incident has raised concerns about safety protocols at Haneda Airport, one of the world’s busiest.
As Japan grapples with the aftermath of this tragedy, the focus remains on supporting the injured and honoring the memory of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.