Fatal Collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport: 5 Dead, Multiple Evacuations

A tragic collision at Haneda Airport involving a Japan Airlines jet and a coast guard plane leaves 5 dead, with hundreds evacuated.

A catastrophic collision between a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport resulted in a devastating scene on Tuesday. The collision claimed the lives of five individuals and prompted the evacuation of hundreds after the passenger plane erupted in flames upon landing.

Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed the fatalities, revealing that while all 379 passengers and crew members from the Japan Airlines plane survived, the coast guard pilot escaped while five crew members lost their lives.

The coast guard plane was en route to Niigata prefecture for earthquake relief efforts following recent tremors that claimed at least 55 lives and caused extensive damage, added Saito, who indicated no immediate details regarding the accident’s cause.

Dramatic visuals broadcast by Japanese public broadcaster NHK captured the horrifying scene, depicting the Japan Airlines jet engulfed in fiery plumes and smoke upon its Haneda Airport landing. The flames rapidly spread from the wing to the cabin, triggering swift response from rescue crews and emergency services, including a deployment of over 70 firetrucks to douse the blaze, as reported by NHK.

According to Shigenori Hiraoka, director general of the ministry’s civil aviation bureau, the collision occurred as the passenger plane entered the runway and collided with the coast guard aircraft.

Passengers recounted harrowing moments of smoke filling the cabin within minutes, describing the chaotic and distressing situation aboard the Japan Airlines Flight 516, which departed New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido before the tragic incident unfolded.