Unanswered questions in the Japanese plane fire that killed 379 people

A coast guard plane collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane, causing both planes to burst into flames and killing five people on board the coast guard plane.

According to an air traffic control transcript detailing the events leading up to the crash, the coast guard plane was not cleared to take off, but was directed to move to a location near the runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

Passenger plane burst into flames after collision.

However, the plane's captain said after the crash that he had been cleared to take off, according to Japanese media.

Bloomberg reported that someone on the Coast Guard plane received the order to move.

“Moving to C5 JA722A number one, thank you,” Bloomberg quoted the transcript as saying. It was unclear whether the speaker was the captain or the co-pilot.

The captain of the coast guard plane was the sole survivor and suffered serious injuries from the crash. The 379 people on board the passenger plane were able to evacuate in time, despite the internal communications system being damaged and more than half of the emergency exits being unusable.

Experts say the passengers and crew on the passenger plane survived by following the flight crew's orders and leaving their luggage behind.

At least 14 passengers required medical advice, with the airline saying one person suffered bruises and 13 others asked for advice "due to discomfort".

In addition, according to recorded data, the warning light that tells pilots whether the runway is clear or not was not working at Haneda airport on the night the two planes collided.

A NOTAM, a notice containing essential information for pilots and other personnel involved in flight operations, issued on December 27, 2023, warned pilots that the lighting system would be discontinued in the near future.

It is not yet clear whether the lack of warning lights on the runway played any role in the incident.

Reuters reported that the Japan Transport Safety Board is working with British and French government agencies to investigate the accident. The passenger plane was an Airbus made in France and its Rolls-Royce engines were made in Britain.

“The transport ministry is submitting objective documents and will fully cooperate with the investigation… to ensure we work together to implement every possible safety measure to prevent a recurrence,” Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito told reporters after the accident.

Phuong Anh (Source: Business Insider, ABC News)

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