Two years after the January 2, 2024, collision at Tokyo's Haneda Airport between a Japan Airlines plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, firefighter Shinnosuke Naruse described the chaotic scene. All 379 passengers and crew escaped safely, but five Coast Guard members died. The Japan Transport Safety Board continues its detailed probe into the evacuation.
On January 2, 2024, at 5:47 p.m., Japan Airlines Flight 516, an Airbus A350, collided with a parked Japan Coast Guard aircraft on Runway C at Haneda Airport while attempting to land. Five Coast Guard crew members died, with only the captain surviving. The JAL plane traveled 1,700 meters after impact before stopping on the grass, with fire erupting from the lower fuselage and both engines.
Shinnosuke Naruse, a 31-year-old firefighter from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry's airport office, was inspecting a fire truck when air traffic control reported the blaze. Rushing to the scene, he saw the left engine burning fiercely, flames spreading to the left wing, as passengers remained inside amid ongoing evacuations. While spraying water from his vehicle, Naruse spotted escaped passengers lingering near the fuselage and guided them—some anxious about family, others stunned—to safety away from the fire.
"I prioritized saving lives over putting out the fire," he recalled. "I believe I fulfilled my duty."
The JAL aircraft used carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) in its structure, whose dust can pierce skin and mucous membranes, risking eye and throat damage. Firefighters were unaware of this then, and no health issues have appeared among them. Procedures now mandate masks and dust-proof suits, and the ministry plans nationwide equipment reviews.
Naruse shares his experience with colleagues, stressing the need to act one second faster. Haneda handles about 1,300 takeoffs and landings daily. "We need to prepare for the unexpected, anticipating that anything could happen," he said.
The Japan Transport Safety Board is probing the evacuation of all 379 passengers and crew to inform future damage mitigation. Evacuation began four minutes post-collision, but the announcement system failed, and four onboard megaphones were ineffective, forcing cabin crew to rely on their voices. Some passengers stayed seated, unheard; the captain later checked for stragglers. The board's December second progress report detailed a May experiment reconstructing the evacuation on the same aircraft model, involving dozens including JAL crew and examiners to test verbal communication in chaos. The final report will include mitigation measures.
