The Transport Safety Board published a progress report on the collision accident involving Japan Airlines (JAL) Flight 516 and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport around 5:47 PM on January 2nd, indicating that completing the investigation within one year of the accident date will be difficult.
The accident occurred on Runway C at Haneda Airport between a stationary Niigata-bound Japan Coast Guard plane (Bombardier DHC-8-300, registration JA722A, with a crew of 6) and a JAL plane that had landed from Sapporo/Chitose (Airbus A350-900, registration JA13XJ, with a crew of 11 and 367 passengers). Following the collision, the JAL plane caught fire on its lower fuselage and veered off the runway, coming to a halt on grassland near the runway’s end. All passengers and crew evacuated safely. The Coast Guard aircraft was heavily damaged in the collision and subsequent fire, resulting in five crew fatalities and injuries to the captain.
The Coast Guard aircraft was on a mission to transport disaster relief supplies following an earthquake on the Noto Peninsula on January 1st. The crew of the JAL plane did not see the Coast Guard aircraft until it appeared suddenly in front of them, almost simultaneously with their landing and reverse thrust maneuvers, causing a significant impact. After the collision, the airplane’s steering and rudder were unresponsive. Efforts to shut down engines and release fire-suppression agents were made, but the right engine did not stop, and the cockpit instruments did not reflect the situation.
Information was collected from passengers on the JAL plane and witnesses to the accident. The report mentioned, “The photographs provided contain vital information that could not be obtained by other means in the course of this accident investigation,” and included some photos. “During an emergency evacuation, it is important to follow the instructions of the cabin crew,” was also added to the report.
JAL commented, “We would like to extend our deepest condolences once again to the bereaved families of those from the Japan Coast Guard involved in this tragedy. We deeply apologize for the distress and inconvenience caused to our passengers, their families, and all those affected. The Transport Safety Board has published its interim report on the aviation accident investigation today. We will continue to fully cooperate with the board’s investigation towards their final report.”
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
