On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines flight connecting the northern city of Sapporo to Tokyo’s Haneda airport burst into flames in one of the country’s worst aviation accidents. Shortly after landing, the Airbus A350 collided with a smaller Coast Guard plane, exploding into a fireball that killed five Coast Guard crew members.
Investigators in Japan are trying to figure out how a Coast Guard plane nearly collided with a passenger jet preparing to land at Haneda Airport. According to the airline involved, the plane received landing clearance.
How airline passengers managed to escape the burning aircraft
What happened after the collision was nothing short of miraculous: all 379 passengers and crew members escaped the engulfed aircraft unharmed.
Satoshi Yamake, a 59-year-old telecoms worker, was on board, returning to the capital after visiting relatives, according to Reuters. When a rattling and a bang echoed through the cabin, followed by the sight of flames outside his window, his excitement for a reunion with his wife turned to terror.
The collision occurred shortly after landing at 5:46 p.m. (0846 GMT), with the airline claiming that the captain, despite receiving permission to land, was likely unaware of the smaller Coast Guard plane below. The unusual circumstances surrounding the crash are now being investigated by authorities.
A massive firefighting effort involving 115 units worked tirelessly outside the aircraft to control the blaze
Despite the gravity of the situation, the evacuation and rescue efforts were nothing short of remarkable. According to Reuters, Genki Miyamoto, the Coast Guard plane’s 39-year-old captain, managed to escape the wreckage and radio his base, reporting the runway explosion. The passenger jet’s cabin quickly filled with smoke. Nonetheless, the crew’s quick response and the efficiency of the evacuation procedures averted a disaster.
One passenger can be heard shouting for help in video footage shared with Reuters, while a child screams for the doors to be opened. Tsubasa Sawada, a 28-year-old Tokyo resident, said he thought he was going to die when the fire broke out. Despite the initial panic, the crew quickly deployed evacuation chutes, ensuring an orderly exit for passengers, he said.
“I really thought I was going to die,” Sawada said, as quoted by Reuters. “After the accident happened, I was laughing a bit at first when I could see some sparks coming out (of the engine) but when the fire started, I realized it was more than just something.”
Footage posted to the social media platform X shows the plane coming to a stop on its nose, with a ball of fire erupting from beneath and thick black smoke billowing from the back.
A massive firefighting effort involving 115 units worked tirelessly outside the aircraft to control the blaze that started at the back of the plane and eventually engulfed the entire aircraft. Passengers were seen sliding down inflatable slides from a burning plane. All passengers were miraculously evacuated within less than 20 minutes of the plane coming to a stop.
