Japan Airlines Plane Bursts into Flames in Collision with Coastguard Aircraft

A Japan Airlines aircraft erupted in flames following an apparent collision with a smaller coastguard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. All 379 passengers and crew were successfully evacuated, but tragically, five out of the six crew members on the coastguard plane lost their lives, with the captain sustaining injuries.

Video footage depicted the airliner engulfed in flames, while the runway itself was ablaze. Firefighters are actively working to extinguish the fire on the plane, which had arrived from Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido.

Japan Airlines Flight 516, which departed from Sapporo’s New Chitose airport, was scheduled to land at Haneda at 17:40, local time. The airline is currently assessing the extent of the damage, and authorities are investigating the cause of the collision.

Also Read: Powerful Earthquake of 7.6 Magnitude Strikes Central Japan

Earlier reports from Japan Airlines suggested that the incident occurred after their plane collided with the coastguard aircraft upon landing. The coastguard plane, en route to Niigata airport from Haneda for a rescue mission related to Monday’s earthquake in Ishikawa, was one of four planes on a relief mission to the quake site.

Television footage displayed numerous fire trucks at the scene, with smoke and flames emanating from the affected plane. Haneda airport promptly closed all its runways in the aftermath of the incident.