The pilots of the Japan Airlines passenger plane reportedly did not see the coast guard plane they collided with on Tuesday evening. This is what a spokesperson for the airline claims. The collision caused a serious fire in the passenger plane on the runway of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Miraculously, all 379 passengers could be evacuated.
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According to a Japan Airlines spokesperson, the pilots of the passenger plane claim they had no visual contact with the coast guard plane. “They say they felt an impact as the landing gear hit or was about to hit the ground,” it said. “One of the three pilots told us he saw an object just before impact.”
Research
The Japan Airlines plane collided with the coast guard aircraft after landing on Tuesday evening. The two planes caught fire shortly afterwards. All 379 passengers of the Airbus A350 were able to quickly escape the burning aircraft, but all help came too late for five occupants of the coast guard aircraft. Only the pilot of the Bombardier DHC8-300 ejected. He suffered injuries.
It is not yet clear exactly how the incident could have happened. Japanese, French, British and Canadian investigators have now been called in to determine the circumstances of the accident.
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Also read:
How Japan Airlines crew managed to flawlessly save more than 300 passengers from a devastating plane fire
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