A Japan Airlines aircraft with passengers on board went on fire at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after colliding with a coast guard aircraft. Transport minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed that five of the Coast Guard aircraft’s crew had died, while the 39-year-old captain of the plane escaped but was injured. A ministry official told a press briefing the JAL plane was attempting to land normally when it collided with the Coast Guard’s Bombardier-built Dash-8 maritime patrol plane on the runway. There had been no reports of engine or other problems on the airliner before the landing, the official said. Prime minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were working to ensure the accident did not affect deliveries of earthquake relief supplies, and expressed sorrow over the deaths of the Coast Guard crew.

Source: The Irish Times January 02, 2024 17:34 UTC