News/Commentary

‘Amazing!’ 379 passengers and crew escape Japan Airlines plane collision that burst into flames

January 2, 2024 | | Print Article

Nearly 400 passengers aboard a Japan Airlines flight miraculously survived after the plane collided with a smaller aircraft on the runway and burst into flames.

Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 just set wheels down on the tarmac at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday when it reportedly collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft that was getting ready to fly out emergency supplies, the Associated Press reported.

The captain of the smaller Bombardier Dash-8 plane was critically injured but the five other crew members died in the fiery explosion. The Japan Airlines flight was carrying 379 people who all managed to get to safety with a few injuries reported, according to Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito.

The tragic scene unfolded as the nation grappled with a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that left a current death toll of 48 people in its wake.

Videos of the horrifying airport scene show the fireball spreading after the passenger plane, an Airbus A350, touched down at Haneda International Airport. Some video footage was even taken inside the plane as terrified passengers could see the flames outside.

According to the transport minister, the plane had arrived from Shin Chitose Airport near the city of Sapporo.

“The coast guard pilot reported to his base that his aircraft exploded after colliding with the commercial plane, Vice Commander Yoshio Seguchi told reporters,” according to AP.

The smaller plane was going to deliver supplies to Niigata for those affected by the deadly earthquake that struck the region, according to Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima.

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“Shigenori Hiraoka, head of the Transport Ministry Civil Aviation Bureau, said the collision occurred when the JAL plane landed on one of Haneda’s four runways where the coast guard aircraft was preparing to take off. Transport safety officials were analyzing communication between aviation control officials and the two aircraft and planned to interview JAL officials to determine what led to the collision,” AP reported.

A teen passenger on the Japan Airlines flight told Aftonbladet that “the entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes. We threw ourselves down on the floor. Then the emergency doors were opened and we threw ourselves at them.”

“The smoke in the cabin stung like hell. It was a hell. We have no idea where we are going so we just run out into the field. It was chaos,” 17-year-old Anton Deibe told the Swedish newspaper.

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

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Frieda Powers
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