Accident
Japan Airlines flight JL516 from Sapporo-New Chitose Airport was on a night approach to Tokyo-Haneda Airport Runway 34R. The crew was informed about traffic holding by taxiway C5. Weather conditions were good. After touchdown on runway 34R, the Airbus A350 collided with a De Havilland DHC-8-315Q MPA of the Japan Coast Guard that was aligned on the runway centerline. Upon impact, the nose gear of the Airbus was torn off and a violent explosion occurred. The Airbus caught fire, slid for approximately 2,400 meters, then veered to the right and came to rest in a grassy area near taxiway C11, about 200 meters from runway 16L threshold, bursting into flames. All 379 occupants evacuated the airplane; among them, 15 were injured. The Airbus was later consumed by fire and totally destroyed. The Dash-8 was also totally destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. Among its crew of six, only the captain survived, critically injured; the five other crew members were killed.
Aircraft
The Airbus A350 (operated by Japan Airlines) was on a scheduled flight from Sapporo to Tokyo. The Japan Coast Guard De Havilland DHC-8-315Q MPA was dispatched from Tokyo to Niigata, carrying a crew of six on a support mission for victims of a recent earthquake in the north Peninsula. The Dash-8 crew was instructed by ground ATC to hold short at taxiway C5.
Investigation
According to a preliminary report released by the Japan Minister of Transport, the crew of JL516 had been cleared to land on runway 34R, and the crew of the Japan Coast Guard Dash-8 had been instructed to hold short at taxiway C5. It was also reported that the stop bar lights for taxiways C1 to C14 had been unserviceable since December 25, as per a published NOTAM.