All 379 people miraculously escaped the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 which erupted into flames after colliding with a De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop shortly after landing at Haneda on Tuesday evening.
Five of the six Coast Guard crew, responding to a major earthquake that struck the country’s west coast, died.
Once a recurring safety problem, aviation experts say the number of such runway collisions or incursions have become far less frequent with modern ground tracking technology and procedures.
Japanese authorities say the cause of the crash remains unclear.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are investigating whether possible professional negligence led to deaths and injuries, several news outlets including Kyodo news agency and Nikkei Asia reported.
5 killed as planes collide, catch fire at Tokyo’s Haneda airport
5 killed as planes collide, catch fire at Tokyo’s Haneda airport
Police said a special unit had been set up at the airport to investigate the runway and was planning to interview people involved, but declined to comment on whether they were looking into possible professional negligence.
“There’s a strong possibility there was a human error,” said Hiroyuki Kobayashi, a former JAL pilot and aviation analyst.
“Only one plane is generally allowed to enter the runway but even though landing clearance had been given, the Japan Coast Guard aircraft was on the runway.”
The JAL plane was told to continue its approach to runway 34R at 5.43pm local time and was given clearance to land at 5.45pm, two minutes before authorities say the collision occurred on the same runway at 5.47pm, according to air-traffic control recordings available at liveATC.net.
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Five killed after coastguard plane collides with Japan Airlines passenger jet at Haneda airport
Five killed after coastguard plane collides with Japan Airlines passenger jet at Haneda airport
“Clear to land 34R Japan Airlines 516,” a controller can be heard saying in a recording.
Haneda airport did not immediately have comment on the recordings.
JAL said in a statement on Tuesday the aircraft recognised and repeated the landing permission from air traffic control before approaching and touching down.
The coastguard has declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the crash, including why the plane was on the runway and whether it was stationary or moving when disaster struck.
Airbus said it was also sending technical advisers to assist in the investigation.
JTSB has recovered flight and voice recorders from the coast guard aircraft, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the agency.
Tokyo plane collision: French forensic experts to probe accident that killed 5
Tokyo plane collision: French forensic experts to probe accident that killed 5
While all passengers and crew were evacuated around 20 minutes after the crash, the aircraft was completely engulfed in flames and burned for more than six hours, the airline said.
Authorities were set to begin work to remove the charred remains of the JAL aircraft in the afternoon, Kyodo reported, while TV footage showed police and fire department personnel inspecting the site of the accident on Wednesday.
Dozens of domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday from Haneda, one of the world’s busiest airports, but international arrivals and departures were little affected.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse