Japan plane crash: Investigators searching for voice recorder as timeline reveals plane evacuated in just 18 minutes
Investigators are searching for a voice recorder in the severely burned fuselage of a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane after a timeline was released revealing it took just 18 minutes to evacuate all 379 passengers from the stricken flight.
Transport safety officials are looking into what caused the collision between the passenger jet and a small coastguard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday.
On Saturday they used heavy machinery for a second day to remove debris of the burned Airbus A350 into a hangar to allow the runway to reopen. The wreckage from the coastguard plane has already been cleared.
The burnt-out remains of the Japan Airlines plane at Haneda airport. Pic: AP
All 379 occupants of JAL Flight 516 were safely evacuated within 18 minutes of landing as the aircraft was engulfed in flames, something experts and the media have described as “a miracle”.
The pilot of the coastguard plane survived but his five other crewmembers died.
The coastguard aircraft was on a mission to deliver relief goods to survivors of powerful earthquakes in central Japan which killed at least 100 people.
There has been speculation controllers may not have paid attention to the coastguard plane’s presence on the runway when they gave the JAL plane permission to land.
Local broadcaster NHK reported that footage from its monitoring camera at the airport showed the coastguard plane moved to the runway and stopped for about 40 seconds before the collision.
In the footage the coastguard aircraft enters the runway from the C5 taxiway, then shortly afterwards the passenger plane touches down right behind and rams into it, creating an orange fireball.
The JAL airliner, covered with flames and spewing grey smoke, continues down the runway before coming to a stop around 1km (0.62 miles) away.
The plane on fire on the runway of Haneda airport. Pic: AP
Pic: NTV/AP
A ‘miracle’ evacuation
The JAL flight crew began its emergency response but the usual cabin announcement system had malfunctioned, according to the airline, and the crew shouted into a megaphone to make sure all passengers heard their instructions.
Flight attendants urged passengers to stay calm and leave their belongings behind while making their way towards the closest of the only three usable exits – two forward ones and the third at the rear – as five others were deemed unsafe.
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Inside the Japan Airlines flight as it caught fire
A survivor’s video shows smoke filling the cabin as people grow desperate, with some shouting “please let us out!” as children begin to cry.
Many others remained calm and followed instructions to leave the burning plane on emergency chutes.
The captain ensured nobody was left behind in the cabin and was the last to leave the aircraft 18 minutes after touchdown.
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Small coastguard jet ‘wasn’t cleared for take-off’
The Japan Airlines plane is seen on fire on the runway. Pic: AP
Experts investigating minutes before collision
Experts from the Japan Transport Safety Board have secured the flight and voice data recorders from the coastguard’s Bombardier Dash-8 plane and a flight data recorder from the JAL jet to find out what happened in the last few minutes before the fatal collision.
A transcript of recorded communication at traffic control released by the transport ministry on Wednesday showed the controller told the coastguard plane to taxi to a holding position just before the runway, saying it had the number one departure priority.
The coastguard pilot repeats the instruction and then thanks them for the top slot. There was no further instruction from control allowing the coastguard to enter the runway.
The pilot told police investigators his aircraft was struck just as he powered up the engines after obtaining clearance to take off.
The small lights on the coastguard aircraft and its 40-second stop may have made it less visible to the JAL pilots and air traffic control.
NHK also said control officials may have missed an alert system for unauthorised runway entry while engaging in other operations.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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‘I could have beaten Trump’
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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