What happened
During a night approach to Tokyo-Haneda Airport, the crew of Japan Airlines flight JL516 was cleared to land on runway 34R under favorable weather conditions. Simultaneously, a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland DHC-8-315Q MPA was operating a mission to provide earthquake relief support in the north Peninsula. The Coast Guard aircraft had been directed by ground air traffic control to hold short of the runway at taxiway C5.
As the Airbus A350 touched down on runway 34R, it struck the De Havilland DHC-8-315Q MPA, which was positioned on the runway centerline. The force of the impact caused the nose gear of the Airbus to detach and triggered a massive explosion. The Airbus continued to slide for roughly 2,400 meters before veering toward a grassy area near taxiway C11, where it caught fire. All 379 people on board the Airbus were evacuated, though 15 individuals sustained injuries. The aircraft was eventually destroyed by the fire.
The Japan Coast Guard aircraft was also destroyed by the impact and subsequent flames. Of the six crew members on the Dash-8, five were killed, leaving only the captain as a survivor, who was in critical condition.
Findings
Preliminary investigations by the Japan Minister of Transport indicated that while the JL516 crew had landing clearance and the Coast Guard crew had instructions to hold short, stop bar lights for taxiways C1 through C14 had been unserviceable since December 25, according to published NOTAMs.