Japan Airlines plane fire – live: Five coast guard crew dead after Tokyo airport crash
Plane is believed to have been hit by another aircraft
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Five people were killed and a pilot was seriously injured following a collision between a passenger plane and a coastguard aircraft in Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo said five crew members of the coastguard aircraft MA722 were killed after a Japan Airlines collided with it when flying into Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
The aircraft was heading to western Japan to deliver aid to those caught up in the New Year’s Day earthquake that has killed at least 48 people.
Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 aircraft bursting into flames as it skidded down the tarmac at around 6 pm.(0900 GMT).
It was later overwhelmed by the blaze despite feverish efforts by rescue crews to control the fire. All 379 passengers, inlcuding eight children and 12 crew members, escaped unscathed.
Footage and images shared on social media showed passengers shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin and running across the tarmac away from an evacuation slide.
Five killed in Tokyo plane collision
Five people have been confirmed dead following a collision between a passenger plane and a coastguard aircraft, local officials have announced.
Earlier, we reported that the status of five crew members of the coastguard aircraft MA722 was unknown.
The Metropolitan Police Department has since revealed that all five have been killed.
They were heading to western Japan to deliver aid to those caught up in the New Year’s Day earthquake that has already killed at least 48 people.
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Our live coverage for this event has been paused.
Flights safer in 2023 than any other year, experts say
Commercial aviation was safer in 2023 than in any previous year. According to a leading air safety expert, last year set a new record for the fewest accidents and deaths, The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports.
Only two fatal accidents occurred during the 12 months, compared with six in 2022.
In both crashes, propeller aircraft came down on domestic flights, with a total of 86 deaths – fewer than half the 178 fatalities in 2023. For comparison, 148 people die in the average hour on the world’s roads according to the latest UN figures.
Air safety 2023: How safe were the last 12 months for flying?
No scheduled passenger jets were involved in fatal crashes in 2023
Air traffic control communications being checked by investigators
Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau chief Hiraoka Shigenori said officials “will work with the transport ministry to determine the cause of the accident”.
“The scene needs to be preserved for that, but we will try our best for earliest resuming of airport operation as it is the busy time of the year,” he said.
Shigenori added he is not “not yet at the stage that we can say anything for sure about the cause of the accident”, adding that “communications with air traffic control” is also being looked into.
Watch: Footage from inside burning Japan Airlines plane shows moment aircraft catches fire
‘I thought I was going to die’, passenger says
A terrified passenger said he thought he was going to die after his flight collided with a coastguard aircraft in Tokyo earlier today.
“I really thought I was going to die,” said Tokyo resident Tsubasa Sawada, 28, who was returning from a holiday in Sapporo with his girlfriend.
“After the accident happened, I was laughing a bit at first when I could see some sparks coming out (of the engine) but when the fire started, I realised it was more than just something.”
Flight attendants seemed to be urging people to remain calm, saying “please cooperate”, according to the video shared with Reuters.
Five people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a passenger jet collided with a Japanese coastguard aircraft and burst into flames as it landed at a Tokyo airport.
The coastguard plane was carrying aid for victims of the earthquake that rocked the country on New Year’s Day and has killed at least 48 people.
Footage from within the Japan Airlines Airbus-A350, which was carrying 379 people, including eight children, showed smoke pouring from beneath its wings as it landed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport at around 5.45pm local time (8.45am GMT).
Read the full story here:
Five killed and more than a dozen injured in fiery plane crash in Japanese capital
Footage from inside plane shows smoking pouring from beneath wings as it landed at Haneda airport
Japan Airlines apologises for collision
Japan Airlines has apologised for the collision and vowed to provide full cooperation into investigating what caused the incident.
“We regret to inform you that on the evening of 2 January, JL516 was involved in a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft during its landing at Haneda Airport, resulting in a fire on the runway.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased members of the Japan Coast Guard. We want to assure you that all passengers and crew on our flight were safely evacuated.
“We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the distress and inconvenience caused to our passengers, their families, and all those affected by this incident.
“We would like to assure you that we will provide our full cooperation in the investigation of this unfortunate event,” it said in a statement.
Up to 17 passengers and crew left with minor injuries
Up to 17 of the passengers and crew who were taken off the Japan Airlines flight suffered minor injuries, according fire service officials.
All 379 people on board the craft were evacuated before the plane became engulfed in flames and its fuselage collapsed following a collision with a coastguard aircraft.
Five crew members of the coastguard aircraft MA722 were killed and the pilot was left with serious injuries, the Japanese government confirmed.
Haneda Airport could reopen today, transport minister says
Japan’s minister for transport has given a news conference confirming details of what has happened at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
“Japan Airlines informed Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members, had been safely evacuated,” Tetsuo Saito says.
“Regarding the coastguard plane, one captain was evacuated but five other crew members were confirmed dead.”
The minister said it is hoped Haneda’s runways could open “by tomorrow, or even within today”.
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