TOKYO - The pilots of the Japan Airlines jetliner that collided with a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) aircraft at Haneda airport have told an internal investigation that they could not visually confirm the presence of the smaller plane when touching down, according to the company.
The flight control data released on Wednesday showed no sign of controllers directing the JAL plane to abort its landing, suggesting both the airline’s pilots and the flight controllers were unaware of the JCG aircraft entering the runway that the jetliner was approaching.
While the details of the last moments before the fiery collision are still unclear, JAL said that one of the three pilots aboard the Airbus A350 said he saw something right before the accident that caused him concern.
The flight control data showed controllers had given the jetliner clearance to land while directing the JCG plane to proceed to a holding point, stopping short of allowing it to enter the runway where the collision happened.
The captain of the JCG aircraft, who survived the accident, said he was cleared to enter the runway, according to the Coast Guard.
JAL said it is providing all the necessary information to Japanese transport authorities and police, which are investigating the cause of the deadly accident that killed five of the six people aboard the Coast Guard’s Bombardier DHC8-300 aircraft.
All 379 passengers and crew aboard the JAL plane escaped through emergency slides without life-threatening injuries. The aircraft was engulfed in flames shortly afterward.
The airline said on Thursday that it would book a loss of ¥15 billion ($105 million) on an operating basis due to the plane being destroyed, although the loss will be covered by insurance.
The overall impact of the accident on its earnings for fiscal 2023 is still unknown, JAL said. For the business year, the company is expecting to post a net profit of ¥80 billion on revenue of ¥1.68 trillion.
