Japan Airlines: 100s Survive After Plane Bursts Into Flames On Tokyo Runway

After colliding with a smaller coastguard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, a Japan Airlines plane exploded into flames.

All 379 passengers and personnel were evacuated, but five of the six crew members on the coastguard jet died, according to police. The skipper got hurt.

After landing on the flaming runway, flames enveloped the airliner.

Firefighters spent hours putting out the fire. The plane took off from Sapporo on Hokkaido’s northernmost island.

Experts in aviation safety have applauded the crew for properly evacuating all passengers. Following the event, all four runways at Haneda were blocked, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers.

Japan Airlines Flight 516 took off at 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) from Sapporo’s New Chitose airport and landed at Haneda before 18:00.

100s Survive After Plane Bursts Into Flames On Tokyo Runway

After landing, it exploded into flames as it rushed down the runway.

“I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” one passenger told Kyodo. “I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”

According to footage and images, passengers evacuated via an evacuation slide and sprinted across the tarmac to safety.

Officials stated that the flight crew reported no difficulties before landing. Conversations with flight controllers are being investigated.

What caused the collision is unknown. The coastguard stated that an inquiry was underway to determine how and when the two planes collided.

According to a statement from Japan Airlines, flight JL516 was “involved in a collision with a Japan coastguard aircraft during its landing at Haneda Airport, resulting in a fire on the runway.”

“We want to reassure you that all of the passengers and crew on our flight were evacuated safely.” Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of the Japanese coastguard who have died.”

Japan Airlines: 100s Survive After Plane Bursts Into Flames On Tokyo Runway

The coastguard plane, a De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop, was on its way to assist with rescue and relief efforts in the aftermath of Monday’s earthquake in Ishikawa. It was one of four planes sent to the earthquake scene.

Several fire trucks were seen arriving at the area as smoke and flames billowed from the Airbus. Passengers were enveloped by dense smoke in footage from inside the plane. The passenger airliner burned down to its fuselage.

One woman shared a photo of a large audience watching the scene play out. “I was all in.” I’m ok. “Thank goodness,” she wrote on X, the app that replaced Twitter.

However, within hours of the fire, Tokyo police reported that the five coastguard crew members had died and that the pilot had been gravely injured.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was working to ensure that the mishap did not hamper the transportation of earthquake relief materials.

“This is a great regret as the crew members performed their duties with a strong sense of mission and responsibility for the victims of the disaster area,” he said.

According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, at least 14 passengers and staff removed from the Japan Airlines flight had minor injuries, quoting fire officials.

Flights at Haneda, one of Japan’s two international airports, were halted, and many were diverted to other airports in Japan as emergency services battled the fire. The transport ministry reported that all but one runway, where the incident occurred, reopened later Tuesday evening.

It is the first serious accident involving an A350, a new breed of aircraft constructed primarily of sophisticated materials such as carbon fibre-reinforced plastic. Airbus is sending a team of experts to Japan to assist with the inquiry.

The efforts of the Japan Airlines crew and pilots were also lauded.

“Their priority is safety.” They are the last individuals to leave the plane, and on the surface, it appears like they did a wonderful job,” Prof Graham Braithwaite, director of transport systems at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, told the BBC.

SOURCE – (BBC)