Japan plane crash: Aviation expert weighs in on incident
HOUSTON - A tragic collision at a Japanese airport on Tuesday left five people dead. The crash happened when a passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft in Tokyo. That aircraft carried earthquake relief aid.
Josh Verde, an aviation expert, said aircraft collisions are very rare. However, he says those close calls or near misses on the runway are more common than they should be.
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The fiery crash at Haneda Airport in Tokyo resulted in multiple deaths.
"Regarding the coast guard plane, one captain was evacuated, but five other crew members were confirmed dead," said Tetsuo Saito, the Japanese Transport Minister.
Despite the large, engulfing flames, all passengers of the Japan Airlines flight survived.
"Japan Airlines informed Japan’s civil aviation bureau that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members had been safely evacuated," said Saito.
Josh Verde has worked in aviation for about 25 years as an airline transport pilot and flight instructor. He weighed in on the collision.
"A runway incursion is when a plane or a vehicle, could be a car or a person, is on or very close to a runway when they shouldn’t be," said Verde.
Verde said video shows the smaller Japanese coast guard aircraft being on the runway-where it didn’t belong.
"As a result, the landing aircraft, the passenger aircraft had really no alternative. There wasn’t enough time to go around. There wasn’t enough space to stop and so there was a collision," said Verde.
Verde said there have been about six or seven near misses on U.S. runways in the last year. In 2023, air traffic control in Austin had to divert FedEx and Southwest planes to avoid a crash. And in November, two private planes at Hobby Airport actually clipped their wings.
"It underscores the need to really just promote diligence and safety when we’re operating aircrafts, whatever the purpose, whether it’s relief efforts or day to day airline travel," said Verde.
Last year, the FAA invested about $121 million in airport modifications to reduce the risks of runway incursions, like the one that happened in Japan.