Crash of a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 and a Japan Coast Guard Bombardier Dash 8: What we know

At 17:47 (local time) the congested Haneda International Airport in Tokyo was disrupted following the collision of a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 and a Bombardier Dash 8-300 from the Japanese Coast Guard, resulting in a massive explosion and the total closure of the airport.

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The Airbus A350 in question, registered as JA13XJ and delivered in November 2021, was operating a domestic flight from New Chitose Airport (CTS), Sapporo, as flight JL 516.

According to security and airport videos, the aircraft was making a routine approach to runway 34R. At the moment of touching down at intersection C, an explosion occurred: the Airbus A350 lost its front landing gear and skidded along the surface engulfed in flames, eventually coming to a stop mid-runway.

Upon stopping, the deployment of the plane’s front and rear emergency slides was observed, with passengers escaping from the burning aircraft. Japan Airlines confirmed that the flight had 367 passengers and 12 cabin crew members, and that everyone was able to evacuate the plane.

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The video shows the rapid response of the rescue and fire-fighting teams to the two fire sources, one on the A350 and another at the C runway threshold.

On the other hand, the Japanese Coast Guard reports that a Dash 8-300, registered as JA722A, which was preparing to take off at Haneda, has disappeared with six crew members on board.

This is the first major accident involving an Airbus A350 with total hull loss since its service entry in 2014.

Breaking news (to be updated as more information becomes available)