Photo/Illutration The traffic control tower at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Authorities will soon release the contents of the voice recorder from the Japan Coast Guard aircraft involved in a deadly collision at Tokyo's Haneda Airport earlier this year that apparently show a tragic misunderstanding. 

Preliminary findings by the Japan Transport Safety Board suggest that both the captain and co-pilot of the Coast Guard plane misinterpreted the instructions from air traffic control, leading to the fatal accident on Jan. 2.

According to sources, the air traffic controller had instructed the Coast Guard aircraft to proceed to the C5 taxiway, a designated stop before the runway.

However, the captain of the Coast Guard plane told investigators that he believed he had been cleared for takeoff.

He apparently misunderstood the controller’s instruction, interpreting it as "line up and wait," which means to move into position on the runway.

Neither the captain nor the co-pilot appears to have corrected this misunderstanding during their internal communication, even after confirming the order between them.

According to communication records released shortly after the accident, the air-traffic controller instructed the Coast Guard aircraft: “Good evening. No. 1. Taxi to holding point C5.”

The Coast Guard co-pilot responded: “Taxi to holding point C5. No. 1. Thank you.”

The exchange was conducted in English, and the captain of the Coast Guard plane was also listening to it.

After this, no further communication between the aircraft and the air traffic controller occurred before the collision.

The Coast Guard plane continued past the C5 stop position, entering the runway and halting for about 40 seconds before a Japan Airlines passenger jet landing on the runway hit it.

Both planes caught fire in the collision. Five crew members of the Coast Guard plane were killed, while the captain survived with severe burns.

All passengers and crew evacuated safely from the JAL aircraft before it was consumed by flames.

As a safeguard, the air traffic controller's computer system was designed to change the color of the screen if an aircraft entered the runway while another was attempting to land.

However, the controller failed to detect this change, possibly due to a lapse in attention.

The three pilots in the JAL aircraft's cockpit reported that they could not see the Coast Guard plane on the runway. 

The transport board, which is still analyzing the cause of the crash, plans to publish a progress report soon, which will include the cockpit voice recordings.

Further investigations are ongoing, and a final report will be released at a later date.

Separately from the board, the Metropolitan Police Department has launched its own investigation into the incident, treating it as a case of professional negligence resulting in deaths and injuries. 

In response to the tragedy, the transport ministry has taken steps to improve safety at major airports.

Fourteen additional air traffic controllers have been deployed across five major airports: Haneda, Narita, Kansai, Fukuoka and Naha.

Haneda Airport is installing runway status lights at its C taxiway to prevent future miscommunications.

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