Japan Airlines jet burst into flames after collision with quake-relief plane
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Aviation expert has one question after plane fire
01:31 – Source: CNN
- A Japan Airlines plane burst into flames Tuesday at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after it collided with a Coast Guard aircraft helping with earthquake relief efforts. An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, the airline said.
- National broadcaster NHK reported all those on board the JAL airliner were safely evacuated. Five crew members of the Coast Guard plane were killed, and the captain is in critical condition, according to NHK, citing local police.
- At least 57 people had been confirmed killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the west coast of Japan on Monday, according to local authorities.
- Tsunami warnings were canceled along coastal regions, but advisories remain and residents have been urged to evacuate. Tsunami waves of up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) hit several areas along Japan’s western coast.
Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest news here or read through the updates below.
Japan Airlines says its crew was cleared to land by air traffic control before colliding with a Japan Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Audio from LiveATC.net details the crew of Japan Airlines 516 was cleared to land on runway 34 right. The crew reads back “cleared to land 34 right.”
After landing, the Japan Air Lines Airbus A350 “collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft and caught fire, the statement added.
Japan Airlines says there were three members of the crew in the cockpit of the flight along with 9 members of the cabin crew. A total of 367 passengers were on the flight — 359 adults and 8 infants. Five people in the Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 were killed.
Incredibly, Japan Air Lines says only one person on board received bruises, but 13 “requested medical consultation due to physical discomfort.”
Travelers line up at a Japan Airlines service counter at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, following flight cancellations due to an aircraft collision on Tuesday, January 2.
Japan Airlines and airplane manufacturer Airbus are both part of an investigation into the collision between two aircraft at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Tuesday in which five people died. At the same time, the death toll from Monday’s earthquake in western Japan has risen to 57.
Here are the latest headlines:
- Crash investigation underway: Japan Airlines is taking part in the investigation to determine who is responsible for the deadly crash between a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 and a Japan Coast Guard plane, said an airline representative. While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary reports say that the pilots of the Japan Airlines flight did not spot any aircraft on the runway before landing. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it will send a team to help investigate Tuesday’s collision.
- Five dead working on earthquake relief: Five crew members on the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) plane that collided with the Japan Airlines plane were killed, and the captain is in critical condition. The Coast Guard plane was due to fly to Niigata prefecture to help with earthquake relief efforts.
- More than a dozen passengers injured: Seventeen passengers on board Japan Airlines flight 516 were injured after it burst into flames, and four were taken to hospital. No further details on their injuries were provided. More than 100 fire trucks were dispatched to the scene of the fire and most flights have been cancelled.
- Earthquake death toll rises: The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s west coast on Monday has risen to 57. The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.
- Hundreds stranded at earthquake-damaged airport: About 500 people are stranded at Noto Airport after the terminal was damaged. They are being provided food and blankets, but nearby roads are damaged, so they can’t get out. Damage is widespread across cities in Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture after the quake. Wajima City is among the worst hit, with 25 buildings collapsed and 14 that may still have people trapped inside.
At least 57 people had been confirmed killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the west coast of Japan on Monday, according to local authorities.
The New Year’s Day earthquake was the country’s largest since 2011.
In March 2011 a 9.1 magnitude earthquake took place 231 miles northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 15.2 miles
The earthquake caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors in the area.
It is the largest earthquake ever to hit Japan.
Here’s a look at the history of earthquake’s that have happened in Japan:
The French government is scrambling its own crash investigators to Tokyo to probe the collision of a Japan Air Lines flight and a Japanese coast guard plane.
The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, or BEA, says four of its investigators will arrive at Haneda Airport on Wednesday. The agency says it is “participating in the investigation” opened by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
BEA says its investigators will be accompanied by five technical advisers from Airbus, which in 2021 built Airbus A350 that was being operated by Japan Airlines. All 347 passengers and 12 crew members on board evacuated the wide-body jet safely.
Five on board the Japan Coast Guard turboprop — a de Havilland Dash 8 — were killed.
People walk past the rubble of a market in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, on January 2.
The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s west coast on Monday has risen to 57, according to Japan public broadcaster NHK, citing officials from Ishikawa prefecture.
The quake shook the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, sparking fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency lifted all tsunami advisories along portions of the country’s western coast Tuesday, but more than 24 hours after the quake struck, there has been limited access to the northern part of the secluded Noto Peninsula.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters after a disaster emergency meeting Tuesday that a destroyed road had cut access to the area.
Officials in helicopters had flown over the peninsula, known for its coastal scenery and rural landscapes, and reported seeing damaged roads, landslides and large fires, he said.
“To secure the route there, we are to mobilize all the means of transport, not only on the ground but also by aerial and marine transport. We have been making an effort to transfer goods, supplies and personnel there since the last night,” Kishida said.
CNN’s Helen Regan, Sahar Akbarzai, Chie Kobayashi and Mayumi Maruyama contributed reporting to this post.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it will send a team to help investigate Tuesday’s collision between a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 and a Japan Coast Guard plane in Tokyo.
“Airbus is presently dispatching a team of specialists to assist the Authorities,” Airbus said in a statement, noting that the investigation will be led by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
Airbus said its A350 aircraft involved in the incident was delivered to Japan Airlines on November 10, 2021. Airbus says the plane was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
“The exact circumstances of the event are still unknown,” Airbus said.
In the US, National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Jennifer Gabris told CNN that the NTSB has “not received a request for assistance at this time.”
The agency would be the official United States representative for such probe.
Japan Airlines passenger Satoshi Yamake, 59, told CNN that everything seemed normal during landing until he saw a fire.
“We landed normally, didn’t feel a shock or anything,” Yamake told CNN at Haneda airport after he was evacuated from the fiery crash.
He said he saw a fire shortly before an announcement was made to evacuate the plane.
“We could smell some smoke but passengers were not panicking a lot,” he added.
“I was not really scared. Since we have landed already, I was thinking the plane probably won’t explode by this point,” said Yamake.
“We should be fine as long as everyone gets off the plane in an orderly manner.”
Rescue crews work at the site where a Japan Coast Guard aircraft collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, on January 2.
Japan Airlines is taking part in the investigation to determine who is responsible for the deadly crash, Tadayuki Tsutsumi, the airlines’ senior vice president of corporate safety and security, said in a news conference Tuesday evening.
While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary reports are the pilots of the Japan Airlines flight did not spot any aircraft on the runway before landing, he said. The Japan Airlines flight was confirmed to have “entered the runway as normal and began landing as normal and that there was an impact, which led to the accident, but we are still investigating further details,” he said.
Senior Vice President of Japan Airlines Noriyuki Aoki reiterated that its unclear at this point in the investigation if the Japan Airlines flight was cleared to land or if they communicated with air traffic control, he said the news conference Tuesday evening.
“However, I can’t say at this time if they [Japan Airlines aircraft] were cleared to land, or if they communicated with ATC, because that is a fundamental factor in the cause of the accident, and we are still trying to confirm that,” Aoki said.
Onlookers watch as a Japan Airlines airplane burns on a runway at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, on January 2.
At least five people on a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) plane were killed when it collided with a Japan Airlines plane carrying hundreds of passengers and burst into flames at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Japan Airlines said after the crash, four passengers who felt unwell were transported to hospitals but the airline has not received any additional reports of injuries to the passengers on the flight, Senior Vice President of Japan Airlines, Noriyuki Aoki, said in a news conference Tuesday evening.
The Japan Airlines flight landed at 5:46 pm local time and the crash happened around the same time, he said.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to our customers and all concerned. We pray for the rest of the souls of those who lost their lives aboard the Japanese Coast Guard’s equipment and extend our condolences to the bereaved families,” he said.
The airline is still confirming details with the pilots on what they experienced before the crash.
“We will provide accompany service to those who have come to Haneda to meet their families,” he said.
An aerial photo shows damaged and destroyed homes along a street in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture on January 2.
Damage is widespread across cities in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture after Monday’s 7.5 quake that rattled western Japan, followed by multiple aftershocks.
Here are some of the areas impacted by the earthquake:
- Wajima City: The fire department reports that 25 buildings — including houses —have collapsed, and 14 structures may still have people trapped inside, according to Japan public broadcaster NHK. The fire that broke out Monday is no longer at risk of spreading, but firefighters are still on the scene. About 200 buildings are believed to have burned on Asaichi Street, a popular tourist area in Wajima, according to NHK.
- Suzu City: Officials say at least 53 houses collapsed, and a building that is believed to be a temple has been destroyed with nearby graves toppled, according to NHK. Several boats also capsized in the port.
- Noto Airport: About 500 people are stranded after the terminal was damaged. They are being provided food and blankets, but nearby roads are damaged, so they can’t get out, NHK reports. The airport is closed until at least Thursday, NHK reports.
- Kanazawa City: At least three houses on a slope were damaged.
- Nanao City: Aerial footage taken by NHK appears to show several places with bare mountain surfaces where a landslide may have occurred.
- Shika Town: Buildings were damaged including the Togi hospital, where officials said 70 patients needed to be transported elsewhere, NHK reports.
- Himi City: There are cracked roads, and concrete walls at multiple homes have collapsed.
- Niigata City: A road that runs through rice fields in the countryside is closed due to cracks, and utility poles have fallen.
- Joetsu City: Huts along the beach were damaged or washed away and the road into the city is closed, according to NHK.
A Japan Airlines plane is on fire on the runway of Haneda airport on Tuesday, January 2, in Tokyo, Japan.
Seventeen passengers on board Japan Airlines flight 516 were injured after it landed on the runway of Haneda airport and burst into flames, Japan public broadcaster NHK reports, citing local fire officials.
No further details on their injuries were provided.
More than 100 fire trucks were dispatched to the scene of the fire and most flights have been cancelled, NHK reports.
Five of the crew members on board the Japan Coast Guard flight were killed and one injured when it collided with the Japan Airlines flight, NHK reports, citing local police.
Japan Airlines is investigating the details and cause of the plane fire, a representative for the airline told CNN.
Video footage showed the passenger jet consumed by a large fireball as it moved down the runway. The plane was then seen at a standstill with people using emergency slides to flee the inferno as firefighters tried to battle the growing flames.
CNN’s Mayumi Maruyama and Teele Rebane contributed reporting to this post.
Firefighters inspect collapsed houses in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, on January 2.
Japan’s cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said that there are still 120 people waiting to be rescued following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s western coast on Monday.
Hayashi said the government’s priority was to save lives, reminding residents to be alert for aftershocks.
As of 11 a.m. local time, there were 955 evacuation centers open across the Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures, and 57,360 people had evacuated, Hayashi confirmed.
Remember: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck central Japan on Monday afternoon, collapsing buildings, causing fires and triggering tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia, prompting orders for residents to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan.
At least 48 people were confirmed dead as of Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Ishikawa prefecture confirmed to CNN.
Five crew members have died on the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) plane that collided with a passenger flight on the Haneda airport runway, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, citing local police.
Five JCG crew members died, and the captain is in critical condition, NHK reports.
The Coast Guard plane was due to fly to Niigata prefecture to help with earthquake relief efforts.
A Japanese commercial airline was seen in flames on the tarmac at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after it collided with an aircraft involved in earthquake relief efforts.
All passengers on board Japan Airlines flight 516 and 12 crew members were safely evacuated.
Five crew members died on the second aircraft, thought to be a De Havilland Canada DHC-8, operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), according to Japan public broadcaster NHK. It said the plane’s captain was in a critical condition.
Here’s the video showing the plane in flames at Haneda airport in Tokyo:
A Japan Airlines airplane is seen on fire at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan, on January 2.
A Japan Airlines plane carrying 367 passengers has burst into flames at Tokyo Haneda airport after colliding with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft.
The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) confirmed to CNN that one of its aircraft, likely a fixed-wing MA722, collided with commercial flight 516 on the runway of Haneda airport Tuesday.
One person on the Coast Guard plane escaped, but five are unaccounted for.
A spokesperson from the Japan Coast Guard told CNN that the JCG aircraft was headed from Haneda airport to a JCG airbase in Niigata prefecture to help with relief efforts following the 7.5-magnitude earthquake Monday.
All passengers on the commercial flight — including two under the age of two — and 12 crew members on board were safely evacuated.
Japan Airlines flight 516 was en route from Sapporo to Tokyo Haneda airport when it ignited in flames after landing at 5:47 p.m. local time (3:47 a.m. ET). The airline told CNN it is investigating the details and cause of the fire.
Bystanders view damage to a road near Noto, Japan, on Tuesday, Januar 2.
A seismologist with the US Geological Survey warned that aftershocks caused by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday could last for months.
Susan Hough said people living in that part of the country have felt earthquakes before, but she believes this is “the biggest earthquake by far” — which means most residents likely don’t have experience with a seismic event of this scale.
The initial earthquake collapsed buildings, caused fires and triggered tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia, prompting orders for residents to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan.
In 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in eastern Japan caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors. Hough said, comparatively, while the risk of a tsunami of that 2011 size is less likely in the case of Monday’s earthquake, people living near the coast should still evacuate.
Some of the first reports came from the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture, which saw tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) around 4:21 p.m. local time, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Ultimately, location plays a major part in how big of an impact an earthquake can have, Hough added.
Hough said this earthquake was shallow. “Where the fault was moving was very close to where people were living, and that can concentrate shaking close to where the earthquake happened. The energy just doesn’t have a lot of time to travel and spread out before it gets close to where people live,” she explained.
US President Joe Biden is extending support to Japan after a powerful earthquake shook the western area of the country on Monday.
The Biden administration is in touch with Japanese officials, and the United States “stands ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people,” according to a statement.