Tokyo, Japan, was the scene of a devastating accident on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, when a Japan Airlines passenger plane collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport.
The collision has claimed the lives of at least five Coast Guard members and caused injuries to several passengers.
The incident occurred as the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 landed at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport with 379 people onboard, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members.
The aircraft collided with a Japanese Coast Guard Bombardier Dash-8, which was scheduled to travel to Niigata Airport with relief goods for earthquake victims in the region. The powerful collision resulted in the passenger plane catching fire, causing a massive blaze on the runway.
Miraculously, all 379 people aboard the Japan Airlines flight were able to evacuate safely, though 17 passengers sustained injuries. The condition of these passengers is currently unknown.
The situation was dire for the Coast Guard aircraft’s crew. Five of the six crew members onboard were confirmed dead. The pilot, who was severely injured, is the sole survivor.
Anton Deibe, a 17-year-old Swedish passenger on the Japan Airlines flight, recounted the experience. He described the chaos in the cabin, filled with smoke and passengers scrambling toward emergency exits. The tragedy unfolded swiftly as passengers witnessed the fireball engulfing the plane. It took eight and a half hours for the fire to be extinguished.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has directed relevant agencies to assess the situation and coordinate relief efforts.
The Coast Guard aircraft was on a critical mission, part of the relief efforts following a major earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture. The earthquake, which struck on New Year’s Day, had already left 48 people dead and caused significant damage, including power outages and water supply disruptions to thousands of households.
Passenger eyewitness accounts describe a sudden impact and an upward jolt as the plane landed. Sparks were seen outside the windows, followed by smoke and gas filling the cabin. The evacuation was immediate, with passengers using emergency slides and fleeing across the tarmac.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Authorities are examining communication between air traffic control and the two aircraft and conducting interviews with Japan Airlines staff.
Following the crash, Haneda Airport, one of Tokyo’s main aviation hubs, temporarily closed all its runways, but later resumed operations on three of its four runways.