Japan Airlines (JAL) executives have confirmed that the passenger jet involved in a catastrophic collision with a coast guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport had been granted permission to land. As the investigation unfolds, police are reportedly examining whether the crash may have been due to professional negligence.
The tragic incident, which occurred on Tuesday, resulted in the loss of five lives on the coast guard aircraft, a De Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q MPA. Fortunately, all 379 passengers and crew members on the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft were able to evacuate to safety using emergency slides just moments before the aircraft was engulfed in flames. Aviation experts have commended the quick actions of the crew, emphasising that their response likely prevented a more disastrous outcome.
During a late Tuesday briefing, when questioned about whether the Japan Airlines flight had received clearance from air traffic control to land, officials from the airline responded, “Our understanding is that it was given.” A recording from Haneda's control tower, captured in the moments leading up to the collision and available on a live air traffic signal broadcasting site, includes a voice advising the JAL flight to “continue approach.”
Authorities have initiated inspections of the charred wreckage and the runway for evidence as Haneda Airport reopened three of its four runways on Wednesday. The burned-out remains of the airliner on the closed runway serve as a stark reminder of just how narrowly disaster was averted.
The captain of the coast guard plane, which was on a mission to deliver aid to the region affected by a powerful New Year's Day earthquake, is the sole survivor but has suffered serious injuries. Tragically, five other individuals on the coast guard plane lost their lives.
