Tokyo Runway Crash: Professional Negligence or Incompetence? Police Look Into
Tokyo: As officials started looking for evidence in the burned wreckage and runway after an aircraft and smaller jet collision at a Tokyo airport on Wednesday, media reports claimed that police were investigating whether the incident may have included professional negligence.
Amazingly, all 379 passengers were spared from the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 that caught fire moments after it touched down at Haneda on Tuesday night after crashing with a De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop.
After a significant earthquake struck the country’s west, five of the six Coast Guard crew members perished.
Experts in aviation argue that as ground monitoring technology and procedures have advanced, the frequency of runway collisions and incursions—once a persistent safety concern—has significantly decreased.
Only a few weeks had passed since the industry for airlines throughout the world received new safety alerts about runways.
Prior to approaching and making landfall, the aircraft acknowledged and reiterated the landing clearance from air traffic control, according to a statement released by Japan Airlines on Tuesday.
The JAL jet was allowed to land at 1745 local time, according to air traffic control records that are accessible at liveATC.net. This was minutes before the crash, as reported by the authorities.
Regarding the specifics of the accident, such as why the aircraft was on the runway and whether it was moving or stationary when it happened, the Coast Guard has refrained from commenting.
The airplane, one of the six Coast Guard vehicles stationed at the airport, was engaged in an operation on Monday to transport relief supplies to areas devastated by a devastating earthquake.
TWO RESEARCHES
According to news media reporting authorities, the Metropolitan authorities Department will look into whether potential professional carelessness resulted in fatalities and injuries. This includes reports from Kyodo news agency, Jiji, and Nippon TV.
A police spokesman said that a special investigative team had been formed at the airport, examining the runway and arranging to speak with those who were involved. However, the spokesperson refrained from speculating as to whether the unit was looking into potential cases of professional negligence.
According to those acquainted with the situation, in addition to the police investigation, the Japan Safety Transport Board (JTSB) is also looking into the incident. It is working with organizations in France, where the Airbus aircraft was constructed, and Britain, where its two Rolls-Royce engines were produced.
According to Airbus, technical consultants will also be sent to help with the inquiry.
Kyodo news agency reported, citing the JTSB, that the coast guard aircraft’s voice and flight recorders had been retrieved.
The aircraft was totally destroyed by fire and burnt for more than six hours, the airline said, even though all of the passengers and staff were evacuated around twenty minutes after the accident.
TV footage showed police and fire department officers examining the scene of the accident on Wednesday, and authorities were scheduled to start work to remove the burned remnants of the JAL aircraft in the afternoon, Kyodo said.
