- Japan Airlines Aircraft Burst into Flames in Tokyo After Colliding with Coast Guard Plane.
- Five Coast Guard members perished in the crash that claimed the lives of all 397 people on Japan Airlines Flight 516.
A Japan Airlines crash as a result of Tuesday’s collision with a Japanese coast guard aircraft.
The majority of the Coast Guard aircraft’s crew perished in the accident, however, all of the passengers on the Japan Airlines flight were successfully evacuated.
Here’s what we now know about what transpired.
A fire broke out on Japan Airlines Flight 516 following the crash.
Carrying hundreds of passengers from Sapporo, Hokkaido, to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan Airlines Flight 516 descended for landing on Tuesday.
The Coast Guard aircraft, MA722, was traveling to Tokyo for earthquake aid when the Airbus A350-900 touched down on the runway and struck it.
As the Japan Airlines aircraft descends from the runway, video footage shows it catching fire.
How many people lost their lives?
After the Japan Airlines Flight 516 accident, all 379 people—including the 12 flight crew members—survived, and the flaming aircraft was successfully evacuated.
Reuters reports that injuries have been reported to at least 14 persons.
The safety measures and training of the airplane allowed the passengers to safely exit. Only half of an aircraft’s exits should be usable during a 90-second evacuation, according to safety requirements, according to aviation safety expert Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University in the UK.
The New York Times was informed by a Japan Airlines representative that just three exits were available because of the fire, but the crew was trained to evacuate the entire aircraft in 90 seconds, which they completed in just a few minutes.
Five out of the six Coast Guard members aboard the relief aircraft perished in the crash, according to the state broadcaster in Japan, NHK. The pilot of the aircraft escaped but was hurt.
What was it like on board the burning plane?
A Swedish youngster on board the aircraft reportedly said to OutLateBlatet, “In just a few minutes, the entire cabin filled with smoke,” according to an Associated Press story.
He said there was an awful lot of smoke in the cabin. “It was hell; as soon as the emergency doors opened, they got stuck in them,” he stated. “We fled into the field since we had no idea where we were headed. There was anarchy.
Video taken inside the Japan Airlines cabin shows people screaming and smoke billowing in the air, with flames visible outside the windows.
“It felt like we hit something, and as soon as we landed, there was a jolt upwards,” a passenger told the BBC. I noticed sparks outside the glass and noticed smoke and gas filling the cabin.”
What led to the mishap?
According to Japan Airlines, they are working with Japanese authorities while the investigation into the accident’s cause is still underway.
Nevertheless, it seems that Japan Airlines was granted authorization to land even while the inquiry was still ongoing. The airline said they obtained permission to land from air traffic control, and the pilots “accepted and repeated” this clearance before making the landing, according to a story from The Times.
The accident’s causes are being looked into by the Japan Transport Safety Board, the police, and other organizations, according to Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito.