An accident occurred at Haneda Airport where a Japan Airlines plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane. It was revealed that the captain of the Japan Coast Guard plane explained that he had received permission to enter the runway. However, the communication records released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on the 3rd showed no record of permission to enter. ■379 passengers and crew... Children's cries and screams Smoke fills the cabin, and the screams of passengers echo throughout. Outside the window, flames can be seen approaching. Footage taken just before 6pm on the 2nd. The runway suddenly glows red. A Japan Airlines plane heading from New Chitose Airport to Haneda Airport collides with a Japan Coast Guard plane on the runway. The plane is on fire and smoke is rising. This photo was taken immediately afterwards. There are traces of what appears to be a collision at the front of the plane. At the time, there were 379 passengers and crew on board. Child: "Please let him out quickly." Cabin attendant: "Cover your nose and mouth and keep low." Child: "Please open up." Cabin attendant: "Cover your nose and mouth and keep low." The cabin is in chaos with the sounds of children crying and screaming mixed with the cabin attendants giving instructions. A woman is crouching on the floor. Behind her, a male passenger is crouching in a seat and covering his mouth and nose with something like a cloth. Child: "Please open up." Cabin attendant: "Cover your nose and mouth and keep low." The cabin attendant takes out a flashlight while giving instructions to the passengers and moves around, shining it into the dark cabin. Up ahead is a woman holding a baby. The baby is crying. The cabin attendant then reaches over and takes out a first aid kit. The video ends here. Passenger testimony... "Strange sound" Flames under the wings The aircraft was instantly engulfed in flames. Despite efforts to put out the fire, the flames did not subside and the aircraft was completely burned. Several firefighters were nearby, and sparks-like things could be seen falling behind them. Despite the frantic firefighting efforts, the flames did not subside. The fire was finally put out at 12:09 a.m. on the 3rd, after the date had changed. Everything except the wings was charred, and the aircraft was so damaged that it was unrecognizable. There were no casualties among the passengers and crew on board the JAL aircraft, although some were injured. A passenger on the aircraft said, "I didn't know what had happened. After the normal landing, there was an impact, and first the tires hit the ground, and then there was a 'bang' sound, and at the same time I looked to my right and saw fire erupting." Many passengers had heard a "strange sound." A passenger on the crashed plane said, "As soon as we landed, we heard a strange noise and felt like we were being pushed forward." A passenger on the crashed plane said, "Just when I thought we were about to land, I heard a huge bang and then felt like we were going to fall forward." The Japan Airlines plane, carrying 379 passengers and crew, landed at Haneda Airport at 5:47pm on the 2nd, and collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane on the runway. The JAL plane then traveled about 1km before stopping. Flames broke out immediately. A passenger on the crashed plane said, "(Q. How was it burning?) It was something like this." Looking at a photo taken at the time, flames can be seen under the wing. A passenger on the crashed plane said, "Someone yelled that it was on fire. I looked and saw that the engine was on fire." A passenger on the crashed plane said, "I could tell it was on fire, and stayed on the plane, hoping that we might survive." "Get out quickly" - panic erupts... flight attendants respond calmly A passenger on the crashed plane said, "My child was scared the whole time. He was shaking, so we got out." A passenger on the crashed plane said, "A lot of people were a little panicked." A passenger on the crashed plane said, "They were yelling, 'Get out quickly,' and it was really scary." With flames outside the window and smoke entering the cabin, passengers were in a state of panic, but the flight attendants responded calmly. A passenger on the crashed plane said, "When they yelled, 'Open the escape route quickly,' the flight attendants came back and started asking each other, 'Which engine is on fire?'" A passenger on the crashed plane said, "The flight attendants guided us, and we got off in order from the front, without carrying any carry-on luggage. After that, there was a slider, so everyone got off. They got off without any problems." According to Japan Airlines, the in-flight announcement system did not work, so the cabin attendants guided evacuation with megaphones, and at 18:05, 18 minutes after landing, all 379 passengers and crew were able to evacuate from the plane. ■Five people on the JCG plane died, the captain escaped on his own but was seriously injured Eighteen people were injured, either from inhaling smoke in the plane or from falling during the escape, but the fact that all the passengers and crew were able to escape safely was reported by foreign media as a "miracle." The Haneda accident was also covered extensively in British newspapers with photos. They also reported that it was a "miracle" that there were no casualties among the passengers and crew of the JAL plane. In a video of Japan Airlines' evacuation training, the pilots actually slide down the escape slides while shouting instructions. This training is apparently carried out every year, taking up a whole day. Meanwhile, five people were killed on the Japan Coast Guard aircraft that crashed, and the captain escaped on his own but was seriously injured. The Japan Coast Guard aircraft was shattered without a trace. Japan Coast Guard Vice Director General Seguchi Yoshio said, "It is with deep regret that we lost the lives of our irreplaceable staff." The crew members were reportedly waiting to take off to transport relief supplies to the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake. ■More than 100 flights canceled, affecting more than 20,000 people After the accident, all domestic flights to and from Haneda Airport were canceled, and flights scheduled to arrive at Haneda were redirected to other airports, such as Narita. A person who had booked a flight to Haneda said, "The alternative flight is earlier tomorrow, so I couldn't get a hotel room, so I'm just here (at the airport)." At New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, about 250 people reportedly spent the night at the airport. Long lines formed on the 3rd, the day after the accident, as people tried to apply for alternative flights. A person returning to Hokkaido said, "I was planning to fly back yesterday, but all the flights were canceled. I was thinking of rebooking my flight for today, but the counters are pretty crowded." A person returning to Tokushima said, "I have work tomorrow, so if I can't go back today, I'm in trouble..." As a result of the accident, which hit the New Year's U-turn rush, more than 100 flights were canceled by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways by the 3rd, affecting more than 20,000 people. Japan Airlines said that 63 flights will be canceled on the 4th, affecting about 12,000 people. ■The Coast Guard plane "had no permission to enter the runway" There was a discrepancy in understanding about the exchanges just before the accident. JAL Executive Managing Director and General Affairs Division Chief Aoki Norimada said, "We understand that landing permission had been issued." The JAL pilots say they repeated the landing permission from air traffic control and carried out the landing maneuver. However, the captain of the Japan Coast Guard aircraft also explained that they had received permission to enter the runway from air traffic control. Japan Airlines claims that they entered the runway with permission from air traffic control to land, while the Japan Coast Guard claims that they entered with permission from air traffic control to take off. Meanwhile, on the evening of the 3rd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism released the contents of air traffic control communications just before the accident. Tokyo Tower (Air Traffic Control Tower): "JAL516, no problem landing on runway 34R." JAL516 (the JAL plane that collided): "No problem landing on runway 34R, JAL516." Meanwhile, on the Japan Coast Guard's side... Tokyo Tower (Control Tower): "Number 1, please taxi to the runway stopping position on C5." JA722A (the JCG aircraft that collided): "Heading to runway stopping position C5. Thank you, number 1." (From "Hatori Shinichi Morning Show" broadcast on January 4, 2024) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp