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Did human error cause deadly Tokyo plane crash? Japan investigates

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are reportedly investigating whether professional negligence led to Tuesday’s crash in which five people died
  • A former Japan Airlines pilot who now works as an aviation analyst said there was ‘a strong possibility’ that human error was involved

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Firefighters battle the blaze that broke out on the Japan Airlines plane after it had collided with a coastguard aircraft on a runway at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Tuesday evening. Photo: Kyodo
Police are investigating whether a crash between an airliner and a smaller plane at a Tokyo airport may involve professional negligence, media reported on Wednesday, as transport authorities began inspecting the charred wreckage for clues.
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All 379 people miraculously escaped the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 which erupted into flames after colliding with a De Havilland Dash-8 Coast Guard turboprop shortly after landing at Haneda on Tuesday evening.

Five of the six Coast Guard crew, responding to a major earthquake that struck the country’s west coast, died.

An aerial view shows the burnt-out Japan Airlines Airbus A350 plane on Tuesday, a day after its collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
An aerial view shows the burnt-out Japan Airlines Airbus A350 plane on Tuesday, a day after its collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

Once a recurring safety problem, aviation experts say the number of such runway collisions or incursions have become far less frequent with modern ground tracking technology and procedures.

Japanese authorities say the cause of the crash remains unclear.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are investigating whether possible professional negligence led to deaths and injuries, several news outlets including Kyodo news agency and Nikkei Asia reported.

Police said a special unit had been set up at the airport to investigate the runway and was planning to interview people involved, but declined to comment on whether they were looking into possible professional negligence.

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