Japan Airlines plane bursts flames collision Tokyo runway National

Passenger plane collides with coast guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, bursting into flames; all passengers escape. Huge fire and smoke.

A catastrophic event unfolded at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, as a passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and erupted into flames on the runway. NHK TV reported that all 379 occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 managed to escape before the plane was engulfed in flames, while five crew members of the coast guard aircraft were tragically found dead.

The horrifying incident was captured on local TV, showing a massive eruption of fire and smoke from the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on the runway, with the area around the wing catching fire. An hour later, the entire plane was ablaze. The aircraft involved was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from Shin Chitose airport near Sapporo to Haneda. The coast guard confirmed the collision between the passenger plane and its flight MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8.

Witnesses described the terrifying scene inside the cabin, with 17-year-old passenger Anton Deibe recounting that the entire cabin filled with smoke within minutes, causing panic and chaos as passengers scrambled to escape. The coast guard plane, based at Haneda, had been scheduled to deliver relief goods to residents affected by a deadly earthquake in Niigata, which killed at least 48 people the day before.

Haneda Airport, one of Japan's busiest airports, was bustling with travelers during the New Year holidays, adding to the gravity of the situation. The collision and subsequent fire have left a lasting impact on those involved and have raised concerns about aviation safety and the potential for similar incidents in the future.