Japan airliner bursts into flames after collision with quake relief aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport
According to reports, the Japan Coast Guard aircraft was moving on the runway when it collided with the Japan Airlines airplane just before 6 p.m. local time. All 379 passengers and crew were able to escape the airliner.
TOKYO – A Japan Airlines airplane collided with an aircraft from the Japan Coast Guard on Tuesday at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND), causing both planes to burst into flames and killing five Coast Guard members.
According to a statement from Airbus, JAL flight 516, arriving from Sapporo New Chitose Airport, collided with the Coast Guard aircraft after landing at HND.
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Airbus says there were 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the incident, and all of them were able to safely evacuate the airplane.
All of them exited the airplane via emergency slides.
"Our concerns and sympathy go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident," Airbus said in a statement.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, five of the six Coast Guard members on the airplane were killed, with the captain managing to escape.
Reports say the airplane was preparing to head to Niigata airport to bring aid and supplies to the region following a massive magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Monday.
All of the runways at HND were closed following the incident, just as thousands of passengers were trying to get home after celebrating the New Year holiday.
Three of the four runways were reopened several hours after the collision and fire, according to Kyodo News.