The pilots of the Japan Airlines plane were only informed of the fire by the cabin crew. They had no “visual contact” with the Coast Guard plane, which crashed into the Airbus shortly after landing. The search for survivors after the New Year's earthquake continues.
According to the airline, the pilots of a Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane that crashed at Tokyo airport did not have “visual contact” with the coast guard aircraft that collided. The three pilots could not have seen the fire that broke out as a result of the cockpit collision, a JAL spokesperson said on Thursday. They were only informed about this by the cabin crew.
A JAL spokesperson said the pilots felt the impact a few seconds after landing. According to a report from broadcaster NHK, the senior flight attendant reported to the cabin that the plane was on fire and asked the cabin crew for permission to open the emergency exits. As seen in the footage, the cabin was already filled with smoke at this point.
Debris can still be seen at the airport
The Japan Airlines (JAL) plane collided with the Coast Guard plane after landing on Tuesday and burned. All 379 occupants of the passenger plane managed to save themselves using emergency slides. However, five crew members aboard the coast guard aircraft died; only the pilot survived, seriously injured.
On Thursday, investigators from Japan, France, Britain and Canada continued their investigation into the background to the accident. The completely burned wreckage of the two planes could still be seen on one of Haneda's four runways on Thursday.
Line Machine Voice Recorder Still Wanted
According to the aviation safety authority, the flight recorder and voice recorder were recovered from the coast guard plane that burned on the runway after the collision; the plane's voice recorder was still being sought on Thursday.
Did the Coast Guard receive permission to take off?
Transcripts of radio communications with the tower released by the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday showed that the Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane was cleared to land, while the Coast Guard plane was instructed to move to a location near the tower. track, according to Japanese reports. media.
NHK television station, citing a Transport Ministry source, had already reported that an air traffic controller had instructed the coast guard aircraft to wait away from the runway. At the same time, NHK quoted a Coast Guard representative as saying that the plane's surviving pilot assured him immediately after the crash that he was allowed to take off.
More than 50 people missing after earthquake
The Coast Guard was on its way to help victims of the massive earthquake on New Year's Day. The search for survivors continued on Thursday. Initially, more than 50 people were still missing, as reported by Japanese news agency Kyodo. Many people are feared still under the rubble in the coastal town of Wajima in the west of the Noto peninsula, where a large market square was set on fire and houses were destroyed.
People affected by the earthquake are evacuated from an area isolated by the earthquake. Portal / Joint Office of the Ministry of Defense of Japan
For search and rescue teams, it's a race against time: in the search for survivors after an earthquake, the first 72 hours are considered an extremely critical period.
In Tokyo, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for a “comprehensive effort” to save as many lives as possible. Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise. At least 78 people have died in the hardest-hit Ishikawa prefecture, Japanese media reported. Since the powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake on New Year's Day, the Sea of Japan region has been shaken by more than 150 aftershocks.(APA/AFP)