As the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Transport, the coast guard plane did not have permission to go onto the runway. This is evident from the communication records between the aircraft and flight control.
379 passengers rescued
However, the pilot who survived the accident made a contrary statement. He told investigators he was given the green light to go to the runway where the collision occurred, they said. A Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane collided with the coast guard plane the day before immediately following landing. Both caught fire. While all 379 people on board the Airbus A350 passenger plane were able to leave the burning plane without life-threatening injuries, any help came too late for five people on board the coast guard plane. Only the pilot of the Bombardier DHC8-300 escaped from the plane injured.
Japanese transport authorities began investigating the accident on Wednesday. The government agency Japan Transport Safety Board is examining the wreckage, the Kyodo news agency reported. According to Japanese media reports, the JAL aircraft received permission from the air traffic controller to land and carried out the landing maneuver accordingly. However, when it was regarding to touch down, the Coast Guard plane appeared to already be on the runway.
Relief supplies for earthquake victims
The coast guard plane wanted to bring relief supplies for the survivors of the series of earthquakes to the severely affected Noto Peninsula. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida countered fears on Wednesday that the accident might hinder the rapid delivery of relief supplies to the earthquake region in the west of the country.
Debris, mudslides and torn-up roads continued to hamper the search for survivors there on Wednesday. According to the latest information, at least 65 people fell victim to the 7.6 magnitude quake on New Year’s Day. Since then, the region has been rocked by more than 150 followingshocks, which continued on Wednesday.
There is a risk of further landslides
Numerous houses were destroyed in the towns of Wajima, Suzu and Noto on the Noto Peninsula. The full extent of the destruction has still not been recorded, Japanese media reported on Wednesday. Authorities in the region have information regarding several cases of people being buried alive or trapped under collapsed houses.
The National Weather Service warned of the possibility of further landslides as intermittent rainfall continued through Thursday. Some villages are said to still be cut off from the outside world. Japanese forces wanted to use helicopters to bring relief supplies to the cut-off areas. Kishida announced an increase of another 1,000 to the 1,000 soldiers deployed to the disaster area.
40 domestic flights canceled
Meanwhile, airline JAL canceled more than 40 domestic flights to and from Haneda following its plane’s devastating collision with the Coast Guard plane on Wednesday. All Nippon Airways (ANA) also canceled dozens of flights. All runways at Japan’s busiest airport were temporarily closed on the day of the accident, but were able to be reopened except for the taxiway at the accident site.
According to a statement from Toulouse, the aircraft manufacturer Airbus expressed sympathy for everyone affected by the accident on the day of the accident. The A350-900 was therefore only two years old. The authorities will be provided with technical support in the investigation of the incident, it said.
