Japan jet crash: passenger plane was cleared to land,
Smaller plane on runway was not cleared for takeoff, however, say authorities as investigations begin
A passenger jet that collided with a coastguard plane at Haneda airport in Tokyo had been given permission to land, but the smaller plane was not cleared for takeoff, Japanese authorities have said, as police reportedly prepared to investigate whether the crash involved professional negligence.
Five people on the coastguard aircraft died but all 379 passengers and crew escaped to safety down emergency slides minutes before the Japan Airlines Airbus was engulfed in flames on Tuesday.
Miracle at Haneda: how cabin crew pulled off great escape from Japan plane fire Read more Transcripts of air traffic control instructions released by authorities appeared to show the Japan Airlines plane had been given permission to land but that the coastguard aircraft had been told to taxi to a holding point near the runway.
An official from Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau told reporters there was no indication in the transcripts that the smaller aircraft had been granted permission to takeoff. The captain of the plane, who survived the crash, said he had entered the runway after receiving permission, a coastguard official said, while acknowledging there was no indication in the transcripts that he had been cleared to do so.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/03/japan-plane-crash-jet-haneda-airport-clear-to-land-japan-airlines
