Japanese Plane In Flames On Runway Of Tokyo Airport: What We Know So Far

A fire broke out on a Japan Airlines passenger aircraft today after it collided with a coast guard plane on the runway at Tokyo-Haneda airport. All 367 passengers were safely evacuated, reported AFP news agency.

Here's what we know about Japan plane on flames:

• The passenger plane was shown on Japanese news agency NHK as being on fire while careening down the runway at a high speed.
• The coast guard plane collided with the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 on the runway at Haneda Airport, officially known as Tokyo International Airport.
• Flames were observed coming out from the windows of the aircraft in visuals.
• Numerous fire trucks were on site, spraying foam and water on the aircraft to control the blaze.
• A coast guard official has told public broadcaster NHK that the aircraft that collided with the Japan Airlines flight was preparing to fly to Niigata for earthquake relief.

Videos on social media show the plane in flames traveling down the runway. Whereas, in another video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, one can witness the firefighters extinguishing the fire on the plane at the Tokyo airport.

Air accident investigator on the Japan plane fire

At a busy airport in the evening, a "very visually challenging environment" is described by an air accident investigator as per Sky News report. Tim Atkinson mentioned that, for everyone involved, from air traffic controllers to pilots and vehicle drivers, it is an environment with "an awful lot of lights of various colours, some of which are flashing."

"As one approaches a runway at night, those little signs of, for example, a relatively small aircraft are often very difficult to perceive," said Atkinson. With reports suggesting a collision occurred, Atkinson stated that accident investigators will be examining why two aircraft were in the same location simultaneously and whether they were both where they should have been. He mentioned that investigators will also be looking to establish how all the passengers were successfully brought to safety.