Five dead on coastguard plane after Japan Airlines collision

1. Five people aboard a Japanese coastguard plane have died after their aircraft collided with a passenger plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport
2. The coastguard plane was due to deliver aid after a deadly earthquake hit central Japan on New Year's Day
3. All 379 passengers and crew escaped the Japan Airlines passenger plane before it was engulfed in flames
4. Dramatic footage showed people fleeing the Airbus A350 on inflatable slides, minutes before the blaze ripped through the body of the aircraft
5. The Japan Airlines flight 516 had taken off from Hokkaido in northern Japan nearly two hours earlier

Five dead and hundreds saved after Tokyo plane collision

Thomas Mackintosh

Live reporter

Watch: Plane turns into fireball as it lands on runway

We're bringing an end to our coverage of the Japan Airlines plane collision at Tokyo's Haneda Airport now.

The incident saw hundreds of people escape a burning plane, coastguard members killed and firefighters battling the flames for many hours.

Shortly after 17:45 local time (08:45 GMT) a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided on the runway with an aircraft belonging to the Japanese Coastguard.

All of the 379 passengers and crew on board the commercial plane from Sapporo, a city in the northern Japanese island Hokkaido, had a miraculous escape as it became engulfed in flames.

But, tragically five of the six crew onboard the coastguard plane were killed.

They had been preparing to deliver aid to people affected by Monday's powerful earthquake - which caused devastation in parts of Japan's north coast.

Officials are now investigating what communications took place between the passenger plane and flight control at a Haneda Airport.

Thanks for joining us. You can click here for our story on the collision, which will be updated with any further developments.

We've also written a piece about what the passengers onboard experienced here.

Air traffic control communications being checked by investigators

Let's bring you some more comments from the director general of Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau, who confirms an investigation is underway.

Speaking to reporters, Hiraoka Shigenori says officials "will work with the transport ministry to determine the cause of the accident".

"The scene needs to be preserved for that, but we will try our best for earliest resuming of airport operation as it is the busy time of the year," he says.

Shigenori says they are not "not yet at the stage that we can say anything for sure about the cause of the accident", adding that "communications with air traffic control" is also being looked into.

Airport tragedy follows devastating earthquake

Suranjana Tewari

Reporting from Tokyo Haneda Airport

It’s been a difficult few days for Japan.

First a massive earthquake struck, initially raising concerns of tsunamis.

In the country’s northwest, hundreds of homes have been flattened, people remain trapped and some people are struggling to access clean drinking water.

Twenty four hours later, a major collision paralysed Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

The smaller plane was actually going to deliver food to earthquake affected areas and take part in the response.

Now, five crew members from Japan’s Coastguard, which was operating the smaller plane, have died as a result of the collision.

Passenger describes 'miracle' escape from burning plane

Passengers on the Japan Airlines flight have been interviewed about what they witnessed during the collision and subsequent fire.

One of those onboard, Tsubasa Sawada, describes their escape from the Airbus A350 as "a miracle" and says he does not want to go on planes anymore.

Japan Airline collision: Passengers talk about their escape

Experts praise A350 structure which aided safe evacuation

Reuters

Two experts have told the BBC News Channel that the main structure of the Japan Airlines plane remaining intact as it landed helped the evacuation of the nearly 400 people on board.

Former pilot Alastair Rosenschein says the fact the fuselage of the Airbus A350 didn't break up "despite a very hard hit" with another plane allowed the crew to bring it to a halt on the runway.

The aviation consultant adds the A350 is made from strong modern materials like carbon-fibre, which have proven able to withstand fires for long enough to make a difference.

Travel analyst Sally Gethin goes further to say the safe evacuation from the Japan Airlines flight is testament to the "resilience" of the A350.

She says the fact the aircraft retained its structural integrity long enough to allow everyone to get off safely is "quite unbelievable".

Gethin adds the challenge for all aircraft frame designers is to maintain safety while using the lightest materials, and the emphasis placed on this "really did help save lives in this instance".

What's the latest?

Reuters

It's now the middle of the night in Japan, so let's take a quick look at what we know so far:

• Five Japanese coastguard crew members have been killed in a collision between their aircraft and a Japan Airlines passenger jet, with a sixth suffering severe injuries
• The Japan Airlines Airbus A350 burst into flames as it travelled at speed down the runway in Tokyo at 17:47 local time (08:47 GMT)
• All 379 passengers and crew of the Japan Airlines flight were evacuated before the plane became engulfed in flames, with 14 people receiving minor injuries
• The coastguard aircraft was taking emergency supplies to help rescue efforts after Monday's earthquake in central Japan

• The incident caused severe disruption but three of Haneda Airport's four runways have reopened
• Airbus, the maker of the passenger jet, says its experts will help with the investigation into the incident

Japan Airlines pays tribute to killed coastguard workers

Japan Airlines has also released a statement, paying tribute to the five emergency workers who were killed.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased members of the Japan Coastguard," the statement says.

It goes on confirm that all passengers and crew were safely evacuated and promise "our full cooperation in the investigation of this unfortunate event".

"We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the distress and inconvenience caused to our passengers, their families, and all those affected by this incident," the airline adds.

Getty Images

Rescue crews working at the site of the collision with the Japan coastguard plane earlier

Watch: Passengers film orange glow outside as smoke fills cabin

All 379 of the passengers were able to escape on inflatable evacuation slides, but video captured inside the aircraft before they did gives a sense of how terrifying it must have been.

Footage taken by passengers on board show the orange-glow of the growing flames outside the plane's windows and smoke beginning to fill the cabin:

Japan Airlines: Passenger films onboard burning plane

Number of injured passengers and crew revised down to 14 - reports

Japan's public broadcaster NHK is now reporting that 14 people from the Japan Airlines flight suffered minor injuries, citing fire officials.

This corrects previous reporting that the Tokyo Fire Department had said 17 people were hurt.

All 379 people on board the aircraft were swiftly evacuated after it burst into flames following a collision with a coastguard aircraft.

Five of the six people inside the coastguard plane were killed, with another person suffering severe injuries.

The incident caused severe disruption at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The airport had paused flights, but reopened its three other runways at around 9.30pm local time (12:30 BST).

Airbus says specialists will assist with investigation

We've just had a statement from Airbus - the maker of the Japan Airlines A350 plane which was engulfed in flames on the runway - confirming its experts will help with the investigation into the incident.

The company says it will dispatch a team of specialists to assist the authorities looking into it, including the Japanese transport safety board.

Airbus also confirms that the A350 collided with another aircraft at the point of landing at Haneda airport in Tokyo.

The company adds it will provide further updates when it has more information to share.

Woman speaks of husband's shock as smoke filled aircraft cabin

Reuters

The wife of a passenger onboard the Japan Airlines flight says her husband told her not to worry after he was evacuated from the aircraft.

Mika Yamake told reporters he phoned soon after escaping the burning plane to reassure her he was safe was on the runaway.

"He hung up but called me back 20, 30 minutes ago to say he is in the airport," she said.

I'm sure my husband was shocked, no one has experienced where smoke is filled inside the aircraft cabin."

Watch: Plane's tail shears off as firefighters tackle blaze

Such was the ferocity of the fire on board, the Japan Airlines aircraft's back end entirely collapsed as firefighters battled to put out the blaze earlier.

Watch below:

Watch: Plane's tail drops to ground as firefighters tackle blaze

Reports say 17 passengers and crew with minor injuries

At least 17 of the passengers and crew who were taken off the Japan Airlines flight suffered minor injuries, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, citing fire officials.

All 379 people on board the craft were evacuated before the plane became engulfed in flames and its fuselage collapsed.

Viewing deck becomes meeting point for stranded passengers

Suranjana Tewari

Reporting from Tokyo Haneda Airport

Four hours on from the collision and the charred remnants of the Japan Airlines plane are all that’s left on one of Haneda Airport’s 34R runway.

Four runways were closed after the incident, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers.

The airport’s viewing deck has become a meeting point for stranded passengers to witness what happened and the ongoing firefighting operations.

It’s miraculous that so many passengers and crew managed to escape the larger passenger aircraft when the fire overwhelmed it so quickly.

BBC

Airbus says it will release more information when available

Airbus, the maker of the A350 passenger plane which caught fire after colliding with the coastguard aircraft, has released a statement saying it is in contact with the operator Japan Airlines.

The statement adds that Airbus will "communicate further details when available".

Hopes Haneda Airport could reopen today, says transport minister

Japan's minister for transport has given a news conference confirming details of what has happened at Tokyo Haneda Airport.

“Japan Airlines informed Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members, had been safely evacuated," Tetsuo Saito says.

"Regarding the coastguard plane, one captain was evacuated but five other crew members were confirmed dead.”

According to Reuters, the minister says it is hoped Haneda's runways could open "by tomorrow, or even within today".

Emergency flights to earthquake zone not given runway priority - expert

We have been reporting that the coastguard plane had been due to leave Tokyo to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit Ishikawa prefecture in central Japan.

Japan's coastguard says it is investigating how and when its aircraft collided with the Japan Airlines flight.

But as we piece together a sense of what happened, a London-based professor says airport officials at Tokyo's Haneda Airport would have been slotting earthquake emergency response flights between existing commercial flights - rather than giving them priority.

"Haneda suffers from the same problem most Japanese airstrips do," King's College London's Prof Alessio Patalano tells the BBC.

"Military and first responders flights only take priority in very extreme circumstances.

"Otherwise they need to share the runways with civilian craft."

New breed of aircraft appears to have allowed passengers to escape

Theo Leggett

International Business Correspondent

This is the first major accident involving an Airbus A350 - one of a new breed of aircraft built largely of advanced materials such as carbon fibre-reinforced plastic.

Experts say despite the blaze, the aircraft appears to have stood up well, allowing time for those aboard to escape.

What we know so far

BBC

The passenger jet is still smouldering on Haneda Airport's runway

Let's bring you up to date with the latest developments in Tokyo after a plane crash at Haneda Airport:

• Five Japanese coastguard crew members have been killed in a collision between their aircraft and a Japan Airlines passenger jet
• Dramatic images showed the Airbus A350 passenger plane ablaze as it travelled at speed down the runway at 17:47 local time (08:47 GMT)
• All 379 passengers and crew of the Japan Airlines flight were evacuated safely before the plane became engulfed in flames and its fuselage collapsed
• It has emerged the coastguard aircraft was taking emergency supplies to help earthquake rescue efforts in central Japan
• One coastguard crew member managed to escape but suffered severe injuries
• Flights at Tokyo Haneda have been grounded and many were diverted to other airports in Japan while emergency services tackled the fire

Watch: Dramatic video shows people escaping via inflatable slides

All 379 passengers and crew on the Japan Airlines jet managed to escape before it was fully engulfed by flames.

The following short clip shows people fleeing via inflatable slides - take a look:

Passengers clamber down emergency slide after Japan plane fire