All 379 people on board survived a Japan Airlines jet that collided mid-air with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on Tuesday despite landing hard at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
Five of the six crew members of the Coast Guard plane were killed in the crash just before 6pm on Tuesday. according to to Reuters. Only the captain of the Bombardier Dash-8 maritime patrol aircraft was reportedly found. The crew was reportedly on their way to Niigata Airport on Japan's west coast to join survivors of the powerful earthquake that struck the region on New Year's Day, killing at least 48 people and causing fires, tsunamis and landslides. Delivered aid and supplies.
A JAL plane collides with a fire at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.#Haneda #Haneda airport #Japan Airlines #BREAKING_NEWS #Japan #plane #Haneda airport #Japan Earthquake #Japan Airlines #Tokyo #Haneda airport #JapanTsunami #Japan News
Five of the six Coast Guard crew members are on board… pic.twitter.com/GsypUnWYWh
— Neha Bisht (@neha_bisht12) January 2, 2024
It is unclear what happened in the collision between the two planes, or whether it happened in the air or on the tarmac, but eyewitness reports and footage suggest share Footage posted online by a new Japanese agency shows a passenger Airbus landing on a runway with its tail on fire.
A tragic incident occurred when a Japan Airlines Airbus A-350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport.The plane was engulfed in flames, but all passengers were safely evacuated. pic.twitter.com/veDMFx5FWt
— Science Girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) January 2, 2024
According to Reuters, one of the passengers on the plane told Kyodo News: “The moment we landed, I felt a shock as if I had hit something, and I was thrown upwards.'' “I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.'' (Related: Remember the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared without a trace? Fisherman claims to have found a big clue)
Approximately 17 passengers on the Japan Airlines flight were evacuated with injuries, but somehow more than 300 reportedly survived the unusual incident. According to Reuters, Haneda Airport was closed immediately after the crash, but is expected to reopen as soon as possible as it is one of the two main airports serving Japan's capital.
