Accident at Tokyo Airport, All Passengers of Japanese Passenger Plane Rescued

A Japanese transport ministry official said on Tuesday, January 1, that a Japan Airlines (JAL) aircraft collided with a Bombardier Dash 8 maritime patrol aircraft of the country's coast guard on the runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo during landing and caught fire. According to this Japanese official, there were no reports of engine problems or other issues with the aircraft prior to its landing. Reuters reported that he emphasized the miraculous rescue of the passengers of the passenger plane, stating, 'It was a miracle.' According to Reuters, all 379 passengers and crew of the Japan Airlines aircraft were miraculously rescued from the fire, although 17 passengers were also injured. In this regard, Tetsuo Saito, Japan's transport minister, confirmed that five of the six crew members of the coast guard aircraft were killed. The coast guard aircraft was intending to fly to Niigata Airport on Japan's western coast. According to a coast guard official, the mission of this aircraft and its crew was to deliver aid to victims of a powerful earthquake that left at least 48 dead on New Year's Day. One passenger of the Japan Airlines aircraft told Kyodo News, 'I felt like we hit something and jolted upwards at the moment of landing.' He added that he saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke. Videos and images shared on social media show passengers screaming inside the smoke-filled cabin. The videos also show passengers calmly evacuating through the emergency slides, apparently without carry-on luggage, and then running away from the aircraft. Paul Hayes, an aviation safety director at the UK-based consultancy Ascend, said, 'The cabin crew must have done an exceptional job. It appears that there were no rescue devices available at the moment of the incident. It was a miracle that all the passengers got out.' The Japanese transport minister stated that the cause of the accident is unknown, and the Japan Transport Safety Board, police, and other agencies will continue their investigations. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that officials are working to ensure that the Haneda airport incident does not affect the delivery of relief equipment for the earthquake victims. He expressed condolences for the deaths of five crew members of the coast guard aircraft, stating that they were performing their duties with enthusiasm and a strong sense of responsibility towards the earthquake victims. The severe earthquake in Japan did not scare anyone, but the Japanese are concerned about the occurrence of a tsunami. The New Year in Japan began with a severe earthquake and tsunami warnings. A tsunami warning was issued in Japan following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake.