All 379 passengers and crew members aboard a Japan Airlines plane, which collided midair with a Coast Guard aircraft Tuesday, survived despite a fiery landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Five of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane were killed following the collision shortly before 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Only the captain of the Bombardier-built Dash-8 maritime patrol plane has reportedly been found. The crew was reportedly on their way to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid and resources to survivors of a powerful New Year’s Day earthquake that struck the region, killing at least 48 people and triggering fires, tsunamis and landslides.
Japan Airlines plane catches fire after collision at Tokyo Haneda Airport.#haneda #HanedaAirport #japanairlines #BREAKING_NEWS #Japan #Airplane #羽田空港 #JapanEarthquakes #JapanAirlines #Tokyo #HanedaAirport #JapanTsunami #japannews
5 out of 6 Coast Guard crew on board… pic.twitter.com/GsypUnWYWh
— Neha Bisht (@neha_bisht12) January 2, 2024
It’s unclear what happened for the two planes to collide, or whether it occurred in the air or on the tarmac, but witness reports and footage shared online from Japan’s new agencies show the passenger airbus landing on the runway with its tail end bursting into flames.
Tragic incident at Haneda airport as Japan Airlines Airbus A-350, collided a Coast Guard plane. The commercial airplane, engulfed in flames but all passengers were safely evacuated pic.twitter.com/veDMFx5FWt
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) January 2, 2024
“I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” one passenger aboard the flight told Kyodo news agency, Reuters reported. “I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.” (RELATED: Remember The Malaysian Airlines Plane That Vanished Without A Trace? A Fisherman Claims He Found A Massive Clue)
Some 17 people from the Japan Airlines flight were evacuated with injuries, but somehow over 300 people reportedly survived the freak incident. Haneda airport was closed immediately following the crash but is expected to reopen as soon as possible as it is one of two major airports serving Japan’s capital, according to Reuters.