Chilling air traffic control audio reveals Japan Airlines crash as survivor pilot insists he had permission to take off
A CHILLING audio recording has revealed the moment air traffic control cleared the landing of the Japan Airlines plane – just two minutes before the fatal crash.
The JAL aircraft carrying 379 people erupted in flames when it collided with a coastguard jet at Tokyo‘s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, leaving five dead.
Air traffic control recordings have now deepened the mystery surrounding the catastrophic disaster.
Unsettling audio reveals the moment the Japan Airlines plane was told to continue its approach to runway 34R at 5.43pm local time (8.43am GMT).
It was given clearance to land at 5.45pm, two minutes before the collision occurred on the same runway at 5.47pm, according to local authorities.
In a recording from Haneda’s control tower, understood to have been taken in the moments before the collision, a voice can be heard telling JAL’s flight to “continue approach”.
“Clear to land 34R Japan Airlines 516,” a controller can be heard saying in a recording available at liveATC.net.
All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board the Airbus A350 managed to flee the burning wreckage of the Japan Airlines aircraft.
But five passengers onboard the coastguard’s De Havilland Dash-8 died in the horror – with the captain said to be in a critical condition.
While the Japan Airlines plane had been permitted to land, the coastguard aircraft had been told to stop short of the runway, Japanese broadcaster NHK reports, citing a source.
The Dash-8 pilot, however, insisted that he was given permission to take off, the Japanese outlet reports.
An official from Japan’s civil aviation bureau told reporters there was no indication in those transcripts that the Coast Guard aircraft had been granted permission to take off.
The captain of the Coast Guard plane said he had entered the runway after receiving permission, a Coast Guard official said, while acknowledging that there was no indication in the transcripts that he had been cleared to do so.
Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito told reporters: “The transport ministry is submitting objective material and will fully cooperate with the … investigation to ensure we work together to take all possible safety measures to prevent a recurrence.”
The sole survivor on the plane was pilot Captain Genki Miyamoto, 39.
He reportedly pulled himself from the wreckage before he radioed for help.
“The aircraft exploded on the runway. I escaped. The [condition of the] other crew members is unknown,” he is said to have told his base.
Tokyo police are investigating whether possible professional negligence led to deaths and injuries, Japanese outlets Kyodo and the Nikkei business newspaper reported.
Police set up a special unit at the airport to investigate and planned to interview those involved, a spokesperson said, but declined to say if they were examining the negligence concerns.
Aviation analyst Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who is a former JAL pilot, said: “There’s a strong possibility there was a human error.
“Aircraft accidents very rarely occur due to a single problem, so I think that this time too there were two or three issues that led to the accident.”
De Havilland Dash-8 was set to help with rescue efforts following an earthquake in central Japan on New Year’s Day, before colliding with the JAL carrier.
Television pictures caught the shocking moment as passengers and airport workers watched on in horror.
Footage from inside the burning passenger jet shows the moment screaming passengers battle through smoke to escape the flaming hell.
People were seen covering their faces with their hands or masks, as others were heard yelling in the background.
Another clip shows the moment the plane landed on the runway as it skidded across the tarmac with billowing smoke coming from the wing.
Images from broadcaster NHK showed flames coming out of the plane’s windows and from beneath the aircraft.
The plane split into two halves as the fire burst through the dishevelled structure and tore it down.
Video later showed fire crews working to put out the blaze with streams of water and aiding the evacuation operation.