A Japan Airlines Airbus A350 burst into flames at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) after colliding with a Coast Guard aircraft upon landing. Video of the landing aircraft, taken as night fell on Tuesday evening local time, shows the aircraft rolling down the runway with fire coming from the windows and engine area.
All passengers and crew onboard the A350 were reported to have evacuated safely. However, five of the six individuals onboard the smaller Coast Guard plane are currently unaccounted for.
The flight had arrived in Tokyo from Sapporo, having taken off at just before 14:00 local time and operating as flight JL516. The aircraft landed at 17:47. Operating the flight was a 2-year-old Airbus A350-900, registered JA13XJ.
Footage from the scene shows fire trucks in attendance, but the aircraft is completely alight. Aircraft database Planespotters.net already lists the Airbus as a complete write-off. This represents the first-ever Airbus A350 hull loss, coming almost nine years after the type first entered service with Qatar Airways in January 2015.
All onboard believed to have survived
Miraculously, media are reporting that all 367 passengers and 12 crew on the aircraft survived the accident. Considering the extent of the fire and how it gutted the aircraft’s fuselage, the crew must have enforced the airline’s evacuation procedures exceptionally. Expect to hear tales of bravery in the coming weeks if, indeed, everyone did survive.
Footage shown on local television captures the moment passengers fled across the runway as the plane burned behind them. Videos have since emerged from inside the plane as it landed, and in the immediate aftermath after the plane came to a stop. Passengers appear to have remained surprisingly composed, even as smoke filled up the cabin.
Reported collision with Coast Guard plane
Initial reports suggest that there may have been a collision upon landing, with sources suggesting a Japan Coast Guard aircraft involved (some reports have identified it as a Dash 8). Local media have also reported that the Coast Guard aircraft was on its way to deliver vital supplies to Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a major earthquake yesterday.
Footage posted by BNO News shows the moment the A350 burst into flames, apparently after colliding with something. Unfortunately, there may have been fatalities in the Coast Guard aircraft, with local media reporting that five out of the six individuals onboard remain unaccounted for. Only the captain of the plane is said to have survived.
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