By Miriam Kuepper and Katherine Lawton
Published: 10:30, January 2, 2024 | Updated: 4:03 p.m., January 2, 2024
What do we know so far?
- A Japan Airlines plane landed and collided with a Coast Guard plane that was preparing to take off
- All 379 passengers on Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 were able to eject safely before the plane burst into flames
- Five of six Coast Guard aircrew died after the collision
- The sixth crew member, the pilot, escaped the aircraft with serious injuries
Official explains what happened in fatal plane collision
The fatal incident occurred as the Japan Airlines plane landed on one of the airport's four runways where the Coast Guard plane was preparing to depart, the head of the Transportation Ministry's Civil Aviation Office said.
The Coast Guard pilot reported to his base that his plane had burst into flames after colliding with the airliner, Sky News reported.
Traffic safety officials are now investigating communications between flight control officers and the two aircraft.
All 379 people on Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 were able to eject safely before the plane burst into flames, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed.
The pilot of the Coast Guard plane escaped, but the five crew members died, Saito said.
Passenger on board Japan Airlines flight says moment plane collided 'felt like a boom'
A passenger on the horrific Japan Airlines flight described the moment the plane collided with another plane.
They said: “I felt a bang as if we hit something and shot up the moment we landed,” the unnamed passenger told Kyodo News Agency.
“I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”
Three runways will reopen at Tokyo Haneda Airport
The airport – also known as Tokyo International Airport – had temporarily suspended operations following a fatal collision.
Three breakaways have now reopened, a Japanese ministry official said.
Japan Airlines rival ANA said earlier it had canceled 110 domestic flights departing and arriving in Haneda for the rest of the day.
Firefighters inspect the wreckage of the destroyed Japan Airlines plane
New photos show firefighters carefully inspecting the wreckage of the jetliner that crashed and caught fire at Tokyo International Airport.
The passenger plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane on Tuesday and burst into flames at the airport, officials said.
Japan's transport minister confirms five people were killed on board a coast guard airport
Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said: “Japan's airlines have informed the Japan Civil Aviation Administration that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew, have been safely evacuated.”
“As for the Coast Guard aircraft, one captain was evacuated, but five other crew members were confirmed dead.”
Japanese airlines will hold a conference today following the horrific plane crash
Japanese airlines will hold a conference later today after a plane crashed at Tokyo International Airport.
While the 379 passengers aboard the Japanese Airlines flight were rescued, five of the six Coast Guard crew members died.
VIDEO: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida describes plane crash at Tokyo International Airport as 'sad situation'
Japan's transport minister informs about the terrible plane crash
Japan's transport minister gave details of the events at Tokyo Haneda Airport at a press conference.
“Japan Airlines has informed the Japanese Civil Aviation Administration that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members, have been safely evacuated,” said Tetsuo Saito.
“As for the Coast Guard aircraft, one captain was evacuated, but five other crew members were confirmed dead.”
According to Portal, the minister said he hoped Haneda's runways could open “tomorrow or even today.”
VIDEO: These are the devastating consequences of the plane explosion
The footage shows the devastating aftermath of the plane explosion as several fire engines surround the burned-out wreckage.
White smoke still rises from the remains of the Japanese airline jet as firefighters walk around it to assess the damage.
Passengers report the horror on board the burning plane
Two passengers spoke about their terrible suffering on board the burning JAL plane.
“The plane started filling with smoke and I thought, 'This could be really bad,'” an adult male passenger told reporters at the airport.
“An announcement said the doors in the back and middle couldn’t be opened.” “So everyone got out from the front,” he said.
A passenger said it was dark on board when the fire intensified after landing.
“It got hot on the plane and I thought, to be honest, I wouldn't survive,” she said in comments shown on broadcaster NHK.
EXPLAINED: What led to the plane inferno?
Our new map details what led to the plane inferno in Tokyo today, where a commercial airliner collided with a Coast Guard plane.
While the 379 passengers aboard the Japanese Airlines flight were rescued, five of the six Coast Guard crew members died.
US Ambassador to Japan praises aircrew and emergency personnel
Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, wrote on on the JAL flight.'
VIDEO: Frightened passengers run past burning engine before it explodes
This is the shocking moment passengers on the Japan Airlines flight escape the plane via inflatable slides.
You can see them running past the burning engine shortly before the explosion.
The Coast Guard confirms its Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft was involved in a jet inferno
A Coast Guard Flight MA-722 aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8 (like the one pictured below), collided with Japan Airlines Flight 516 – a much larger Airbus A-350 – on Runway C in Haneda.
Five people aboard a Coast Guard plane were killed when their plane collided with a Japan Airlines passenger jet that was attempting to land at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Only one crew member managed to escape with serious injuries, Japanese police reported.
The Coast Guard has now confirmed that its MA-722 aircraft crashed into Japan Airlines Flight 516 on Runway C in Haneda, with both aircraft immediately bursting into flames.
The cabin crew did an “incredible job” and brought all 379 passengers to safety, says an expert
Prof Graham Braithwaite, director of transport systems at Britain's Cranfield University, has praised the cabin crew and pilots on board Japan Airlines Flight 516.
“The evacuation was successful and is a reminder of how much has gone into training cabin crew,” Prof Braithwaite told the BBC, praising the airline and crew.
“Their focus is on safety. “They are the last to evacuate the aircraft and at first glance it looks like they have done an incredible job.”
This is the moment a large airliner carrying 379 passengers landed at an airport near Tokyo as smoke filled the cabin after colliding with a Coast Guard plane on landing.
The Japan Airlines jet was engulfed in a raging inferno today as it sat on the runway at Haneda Airport in Ota City, Tokyo, with flames visible from the passenger windows.
New footage from inside the plane shows passengers panicking as smoke fills the cabin. Some are seen wearing masks and rags over their mouths to limit the amount of smoke they inhale, while others scream in fear.
Officials must quickly assess the damage from the crash, the Japanese prime minister says
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reacted to the fire at Tokyo Airport on social media.
His office wrote on X that Kishida would ensure that officials “quickly assess the damage situation.”
The Prime Minister will also “endeavour to adequately inform the public”.
Above all, Kishida ordered “to make every effort to rescue the victims of the disaster.”
The map shows the flight path of the Japan Airlines jet before it collided with a Coast Guard plane
Here is our map showing the flight path of the Japan Airlines jet that caught fire at Haneda Airport after colliding with a Coast Guard plane.
Flight 516 took off from New Chitose Airport, near the city of Sapporo, at 4pm local time (7am UK time).
According to Flightradar, it landed in Tokyo at 5.47pm local time (8.47am UK time) after the 517-mile journey from Sapporo.
Miraculously, the airline said all 379 passengers on board were successfully evacuated from the plane.
Breaking News: Five Coast Guard members have died after a plane collided
Five of the six crew members on board the coast guard plane are now considered dead, reports Japanese broadcaster NHK.
“It was hell”: Japan Airlines passenger recounts nightmare on board burning plane
17-year-old Swede Anton Deibe, who was a passenger on the Japan Airlines plane, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that “the entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes.”
“We threw ourselves on the ground. Then the emergency doors opened and we rushed through them.
“The smoke in the cabin burned like hell. It was hell.'
Deibe, who was traveling with his parents and sister, added: “We have no idea where we're going, so we just run out into the field. “It was chaos.”
VIDEO: Horrifying scenes inside burning Japan Airlines plane
A passenger aboard the Japan Airlines jet that collided with a Coast Guard plane recorded horrifying footage.
A video shows the moment the burning plane touched down on the tarmac as orange smoke enveloped the plane.
In another clip, passengers can be seen frantically looking around the plane as the cabin fills with smoke.
PICTURED: Blazing inferno after a commercial airliner collides with a Coast Guard plane
Dramatic images continue to emerge showing the extent of the jet plane inferno at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan.
Images (see below) show black smoke rising from the aircraft as firefighters attempt to put out the fire.
All 379 passengers and crew of the JAL aircraft were evacuated from the aircraft, while 5 members of the JCG are missing.
A Coast Guard aircraft involved in a plane collision provided aid to earthquake survivors
The Japanese Coast Guard has confirmed that the collision involved one of its aircraft that was flying to Niigata airport on Japan's west coast to deliver aid to victims of the powerful earthquake.
A spokesman for Japan Airlines, the other plane involved, said the plane departed from Shin-Chitose Airport on the northern island of Hokkaido.
According to his office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered relevant authorities to coordinate to quickly assess the damage and inform the public.
Haneda closed all runways after the incident, an airport spokesman said.
Japanese media reported that a large airliner carrying 379 passengers exploded at an airport near Tokyo today after colliding with a Coast Guard plane while landing.
A spokesperson for Japan Airlines reportedly told NHK that all 379 passengers who were on board the plane at the time of the explosion were successfully evacuated from the stricken plane.
There is no official confirmation of casualties or injuries, but a successful evacuation of all passengers and crew would be a truly miraculous feat, considering that the fire completely destroyed the aircraft and melted through large parts of its bodywork.
Firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene. Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed firefighters desperately trying to put out the flames with several hoses.
Horrifying moment as a passenger plane bursts into flames after colliding with another plane
This is the terrifying moment a Japanese airline jet is engulfed in a raging inferno as it lands on the runway at Haneda Airport in Ota City, Tokyo.
You can see flames coming out of the passenger windows.
In one terrifying clip, flames could be seen shooting out of the plane's windows and doors as smoldering debris fell from the fuselage onto the runway, while in another, passengers could be seen sprinting down the runway towards the fire escape.
SUMMARY: What we know so far about the Japanese airliner inferno
If you're just joining us now, here's a summary of what we know so far:
- A Japanese airline jet collided with a Coast Guard plane while landing
- Shocking footage showed a plane engulfed in a raging inferno on the runway at Haneda Airport in Ota City, Tokyo
- Miraculously, all 379 passengers on the airliner were successfully evacuated
- Five crew members of the Coast Guard aircraft are reportedly missing
- There is no official confirmation of any casualties or injuries
Welcome to Web's live blog
Good morning and welcome to the Web live blog.
We're bringing you the latest developments in Japan after a large airliner carrying 379 passengers exploded at an airport near Tokyo today after colliding with a Coast Guard plane while landing.
Important updates
- Three runways will reopen at Tokyo Haneda Airport
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- Japan's transport minister confirms five people were killed on board a coast guard airport
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- The Coast Guard confirms its Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft was involved in a jet inferno
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- The cabin crew did an “incredible job” and brought all 379 passengers to safety, says an expert
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- Five Coast Guard members died after plane collision
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- A Coast Guard aircraft involved in a plane collision provided aid to earthquake survivors
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- Japanese Airliner Inferno: Miracle as “all 379 passengers are evacuated” as the plane is engulfed in flames
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Plane fire in Japan LIVE: Hero Japan Airlines cabin crew praised for 'incredible job' after evacuating 379 from hellish inferno in MINUTES
