JAL pilot did not see coast guard plane on runway before collision

Neither the Japan Airlines crew nor air traffic control noticed in time that the Japan Coast Guard plane had taxied onto the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport before the deadly collision on Tuesday, the latest information on the accident shows. The captain of the coast guard plane, the lone survivor among a crew of six, told the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that "the back [of the aircraft] suddenly went up in flames," according to a source connected to the investigation. Tokyo police have begun questioning injured passengers. Investigators have finished inspecting the runway and continue to look into both aircraft. The lead pilot of the JAL passenger jet reported not seeing the coast guard plane upon touching down on the runway, according to the airline. "I spotted something right before the collision," another pilot on the JAL flight said, according to the company. "I felt something didn't feel right." Air traffic control did not know that the coast guard plane had taxied onto the runway, and the JAL jet did not receive instructions from air traffic control to delay its landing. Neither the JAL crew nor air traffic control appear to have known of the potential for a collision. According to communication records released Wednesday, air traffic control had instructed the coast guard plane to approach the runway but did not instruct it to enter the runway. However, the captain of the coast guard transport plane said the craft was cleared to enter the runway. This suggests human error brought on by a misunderstanding. The coast guard plane is believed to have stopped on the runway for about 40 seconds, according to a source. The Japan Transport Safety Board will investigate the circumstances leading up to the crash. To avoid accidents caused by miscommunication, plane crews worldwide routinely recite back and confirm every instruction given by air traffic control. The Japan Coast Guard transport aircraft did so, yet the accident still occurred. The biggest turning point in reforming communication procedures traces back to the 1977 accident at an airport on Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. Garbled transmission from air traffic control led to two passenger planes crashing into each other, claiming 583 lives. Although scrupulous communication has become a must for safety, human error can still occur.<br/>