Collided with Coast Guard aircraft on the runway
Passengers and crew escaped after 53 minutes
Five people killed on Coast Guard aircraft
Five people lost their lives in a large plane crash in Japan, which has been hit hard by strong earthquakes since the first day of the new year.
On the 2nd, a Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane landing at Tokyo Haneda Airport collided with a Coast Guard plane transporting earthquake relief supplies on the runway and burned down due to a large fire. The passengers and crew on board the plane escaped safely, but five of the six people on board the Coast Guard aircraft died.
According to NHK, JAL Flight 516, which arrived at Haneda Airport from New Chitose Airport in Chitose City, Hokkaido, collided with a Bombardier MA722 aircraft belonging to the Japan Coast Guard’s Haneda Air Base while landing on the runway at around 5:47 p.m.
At the time, a total of 379 people were on board the JAL aircraft, including 12 crew members and 367 passengers. Among the passengers were eight children. It is reported that they left the countryside by around 6:40 p.m. However, five of the six people on board the Coast Guard aircraft died. It is reported that only one captain escaped through the flames.
NHK reported the situation at the scene, saying, “The plane fire started in the engine side of the aircraft and spread to the entire fuselage,” and “Black smoke billowed out along with flames from the windows.” The Airport Fire Department mobilized about 70 fire trucks to extinguish the fire, but the flames continued beyond 7:30 p.m. and the aircraft was completely destroyed.
The JAL aircraft was scheduled to take off from New Chitose Airport around 4 p.m. and land at Haneda Airport around 5:40 p.m. The aircraft type was Airbus A350. The Coast Guard aircraft was scheduled to transport supplies to Niigata Prefecture, one of the areas hit by the earthquake on the 1st. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at around 6:05 p.m. on this day, “We will do our best to provide relief to victims in close consultation with relevant ministries,” and “We will identify the damage situation as quickly as possible and provide appropriate information.”
Due to the accident, Haneda Airport immediately closed the airport around 6 PM for safety reasons. As a result, Korean Air Flight KE2103 bound for Haneda, which departed from Gimpo Airport at 4:16 p.m., returned to Nagoya Airport and landed around 7:10 p.m. Asiana Airlines Flight OZ1065, which was scheduled to take off from Gimpo Airport at 7:35 PM and head to Haneda Airport, was delayed by 1 hour and 25 minutes to 9 PM.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.