Japan plane crash probe points to coast guard crew confusion
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A Japan Airlines plane in flames on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Jan 2 after apparently colliding with a coast guard aircraft.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Cockpit voice recordings released on Dec 25 indicate Japanese coast guard pilots wrongly thought they could enter an active runway minutes before being struck by a Japan Airlines jet.
The recordings, in a report tabled by the Japan Transport Safety Board close to the first anniversary of the Jan 2 tragedy
The coast guard pilots were on a mission to help deliver aid and supplies to victims of the Jan 1 earthquake in north-western Japan at the time. The quake was a frequent talking point among the crew, according to the recordings.
Five of the six coast guard crew on the small De Havilland Canada Dash 8 propeller plane died when it was hit from behind by the JAL Airbus SE A350 jet, which had 379 people on board.
The accident occurred at Japan’s busiest airport, Tokyo Haneda International Airport.
All passengers on the commercial jet survived, despite the ensuing fireball that engulfed the wide-body jet.
Dec 25’s report also said the safety board will look into the correlation between the accident and the role of the air traffic controller who was monitoring multiple jets at the time of the incident. BLOOMBERG
