In a tragic incident at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on 2nd January, a collision between a Japan Airlines (JAL) aircraft and a Japan Coast Guard plane resulted in a fiery crash that claimed the lives of five Coast Guard members, as reported by Kyodo News. Fortunately, all 379 passengers on the JAL flight from Sapporo, including eight small children, managed to escape without life-threatening injuries.
The collision occurred at approximately 5:47 pm (local time) when the JAL plane was arriving from Sapporo. The Coast Guard aircraft, stationed at Haneda airport, was taxiing on the runway when the collision took place. The cause of the accident remains unknown, prompting the transport ministry to launch an investigation into the aircraft’s communications with flight control.
Regrettably, five out of the six Coast Guard members on the plane, aged 27 to 56, lost their lives in the crash. The captain, however, was able to escape, according to police reports. In response to the incident, the airport immediately closed all four runways, causing significant disruptions to air traffic during one of the busiest travel seasons as people returned to their hometowns for the New Year holidays. Three of the four runways, excluding the one where the collision occurred, were reopened around 9:30 pm, according to the transport ministry.
The coast guard plane, en route to its Niigata airport base to deliver relief aid for those affected by the recent magnitude-7.6 earthquake along the Noto Peninsula and the Sea of Japan coast, was on a humanitarian mission at the time of the collision.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his condolences for the lives lost and instructed relevant ministers to swiftly investigate the incident, assuring the public of transparent information dissemination. Japan Coast Guard vice commandant Yoshio Seguchi conveyed deep sorrow at a press conference, stating, “It is extremely regrettable to have lost the precious lives of our members. We offer our sincere condolences to the bereaved.”
Passengers and crew aboard the JAL plane used emergency slides to evacuate as the aircraft became engulfed in flames. One passenger described feeling a bump upon landing, witnessing sparks outside the window, and the cabin filling with gas and smoke.
The Airbus A350 was identified as the passenger plane involved in the incident, while the Japan Coast Guard’s aircraft was a Bombardier DHC8-300. The ongoing investigation aims to determine the factors contributing to this unprecedented and sorrowful event, as reported by Kyodo News.
