TOKYO – A recent tragic incident at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport has left five crew members dead after a Japan Airlines flight collided with a coast guard aircraft, erupting into a terrifying fireball. According to a transcript of air traffic control communications released on Wednesday, the coast guard aircraft had not been cleared for takeoff, only instructed to “taxi to holding point.” All 379 passengers on the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated, with only one person receiving minor injuries and 13 seeking medical consultation due to discomfort. The incident is still under investigation, with authorities retrieving the flight and voice recorders from the coast guard aircraft and searching for those of the JAL plane.
The transcript, released by Japanese transport minister Tetsuo Saito, revealed that the Japan Airlines flight had been given permission to land but did not show clear takeoff approval for the coast guard aircraft. Furthermore, publicly available records indicate that out-of-service warning lights may have been a factor in the crash, designed to prevent pilots from erroneously taxiing onto the runway. A bulletin to pilots dated December 25, 2023, stated that stop bar lighting was “unserviceable” and remains active, potentially contributing to the collision.
In a briefing following Saito’s press conference, officials from the Japan Transportation Safety Board (JTSB) stated their intent to investigate the incident thoroughly to prevent such accidents from occurring again. This pledge of cooperation comes as Japan Airlines has vowed to fully cooperate in determining responsibility for the deadly crash. This tragedy serves as a reminder of the importance of aviation safety, with incidents of this nature being rare but potentially catastrophic.