Coastal aircraft that collided with the Japan Airlines aircraft 'not allowed to take off'
The latest facts related to the collision of two aircraft at Tokyo Haneda Airport were revealed by the Japanese Transportation Safety Council. They mentioned that a coast guard aircraft that collided with the Japan Airlines airline had not held permission to take off.
The propeller plane experienced a fatal collision with a passenger aircraft of the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 that landed on the runway of the Haneda Airport, Tuesday (02/01).
Meanwhile, the Japan Airlines airline pilot did not realize that the plane caught fire after colliding with the coast guard, until a cabin crew told the pilot that the cabin was burning.
"Shortly after the plane landed, the pilot felt a strong pounding and could not control the plane to remain on the runway. The fire broke out but the pilots did not realize that at first, until the cabin crew told them," said Spokesman for the Japan Airlines airline.
There are three pilots and 12 crew members on the plane containing 379 people. The announcement system on the aircraft was damaged, so that the beginning of the aircraft had to use Megafon and shout when giving instructions to the passengers.
"The first thing to do the cabin crew [after realizing that] there were passengers who saw the plane they were traveling on fire, was asking them to remain calm," said the spokesman.
What happened later was the evacuation process praised by many parties. All 379 people on the plane were rescued, but five of the six people on the Bombarider Dash-8 type coast guard, died.
Coastal pilots 'have not been allowed to take off'
Referring to the transcript of instructions issued by the Airport Airport Airport Traffic Regulatory Authority, the Japan Airlines aircraft has received permission to land shortly before the accident occurred.
Conversely, the takeoff permit was not given to the Japanese coast guard authority pilot who drove the Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft. According to officials at the Japanese Transportation Safety Council, Japan Airlines aircraft were allowed to land on the runway of 34R. Meanwhile, the aircraft owned by the coast guard authorities was ordered to "walk to the C5 waiting point".
C5 is a code that refers to the point in the runway system. This point is the location where the aircraft is waiting for permission from the air traffic regulatory authority to enter the takeoff stage. In the transcript that was just released to the public, the pilot on a Japanese coast guard was aware of the instructions.
The command that the pilot waits at point C5 is the last transmission recorded in the communication system before the collision occurs. The transcript released to the public is contrary to the statement of the Japanese coastal captain, which is the only one of the six crew members who survived.
The pilot told the investigator that he had received permission to enter the runway which was also addressed by the Japan Airlines aircraft. But experts say that there are actually visual cues such as painted signs, which will show the point where the aircraft must stop before reaching the runway.
Japan Airlines with flight code 516 departed from New Chitose Airport in Sapporo City at 16:00 local time. This plane landed in Haneda a few minutes before 18:00. The fire devoured the plane shortly after landing and experiencing a collision. All 379 passengers and crew of the Japan Airlines aircraft were evacuated safely after the collision occurred.
"I felt an explosion like we crashed into something and jerked up when we landed," a passenger told the Kyodo news agency.
"I saw sparks outside the window and cabin filled with gas and smoke," he said.
The passengers underwent evacuation through emergency slides, then ran to a safe place. The evacuation process was seen in various recordings and photos. Various recordings showed that several fire trucks were at a collision location when smoke and fire rose from the Airbus aircraft.
Records from the plane show that passengers were surrounded by thick smoke. A passenger uploaded a photo showing a large crowd watching the explosion and fire.
"I was on the plane, but I am now in a safe condition. Thank God," he wrote on X, a platform that was previously known as Twitter.
The Japanese Transportation Safety Council said the Japan Airlines aircraft crew reported that their aircraft did not experience any problems before landing. In his official statement, Japan Airlines stated that their aircraft "collided with a Japanese coast guard plane while landing at Haneda Airport, which resulted in aircraft fires on the runway".
The Japanese coast guard aircraft involved in this accident was undergoing rescue and shipping operations to earthquake victims in Ishikawa, which occurred one day before.
The aircraft was one of four aircraft that were on a mission to the earthquake site. Within a few hours after the fire, the Tokyo police stated that five crew members of the Japanese coast guard were killed in the accident. As for a pilot suffered severe injuries.
Japanese Prime Minister (PM), Fumio Kishida, said the authorities tried to ensure the accident did not prevent the delivery of supply of aid to earthquake victims in Ishikawa.
"This accident is very unfortunate because the aircraft crew carry out their duties with the mission and responsibility for the victims in the disaster area," he said.
At least 14 passengers and crew departed from the Japan Airlines aircraft suffered minor injuries, according to firefighters quoted by the Japanese Public Broadcasting Institute, NHK.
This is the first big accident involving Airbus A350, one of the new types of aircraft made from advanced material such as plastic which is reinforced by carbon fiber. Airbus has sent a specialist team to Japan to help investigate this accident.
