Japan Airlines Crash: 5 Killed, 379 Escape Runway Blaze

Facts

• Five of the six crew members onboard a Japanese coastguard aircraft were killed after a Japan Airlines plane collided with it upon landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday.¹
• All 367 passengers and 12 crew members of the passenger jet, which burst into a ball of fire after the collision, evacuated and were rescued.²
• Japan's Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed the casualties and said the pilot of the coastguard plane, which was headed to Niigata Airport on Japan's west coast to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula region, was able to escape.³
• Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the Japan Airlines plane engulfed in fire as it taxied on the runway and passengers fleeing the burning aircraft through an emergency chute.⁴
• As the fire quickly expanded, the hull of the Japan Airlines Airbus A-350 broke in two. The Haneda Airport reportedly closed all runways after the incident as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.⁵
• Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has asked relevant ministers to investigate the incident, while Saito said his officials have been taking necessary steps to get the airport entirely reopened.⁶

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²New York Times, ³The National, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵Sky News and ⁶The Mainichi.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Wall Street Journal. A more horrific disaster was averted — the Japan Airlines' cabin crew and airport authorities must be commended for pulling off a miracle. It's next to impossible to rescue 379 people from a fireball-like accident, however, the passenger plane's crew safely evacuated everyone before the aircraft split into two, and officials on the ground ensured that the accident didn't affect deliveries of earthquake relief supplies or cause damage to parked planes. Despite the tragic loss of life from this incident, a truly horrific catastrophe was avoided.
• Narrative B, as provided by CNN. The evacuation of the Japan Airlines plane should indeed be praised as a success. However, the investigators must find all answers — including how the aircraft, which had no engine problem or issued no mayday alert and entered the runway as normal for landing, skidded down the tarmac and collided with the coastguard's maritime patrol plane after landing. An in-depth probe must be conducted to ensure a similar disaster never occurs again.