A collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport involving a coast guard plane and a Japan Airlines Airbus resulted in five deaths. The coast guard plane, carrying aid to an earthquake zone, crashed during landing.
All 379 passengers and crew escaped before the airliner caught fire. The captain of the coast guard plane survived with serious injuries. Footage showed flames erupting after the front landing gear failed.
Government officials pledged to investigate the incident, and airline executives claim the Japan Airlines flight had landing permission. France’s Airbus will assist in the investigation.
The incident occurred in a country without a serious commercial aviation accident for decades.
