A aviation safety incident occurred in the sky above Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan on the morning of August 4th. A All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight from Shanghai to Tokyo came dangerously close to colliding with a Japanese flight inspection aircraft as it was about to land. The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on board activated and ultimately prevented the two aircraft from colliding.
According to Asahi Shimbun, ANA stated that at the time, flight NH968 from Shanghai to Haneda was preparing to land, carrying a total of 197 crew members and passengers. The flight was scheduled to arrive at 5:45 am on August 4th. As it was approaching to land on Runway C, the TCAS suddenly issued a warning alert.
Flight trajectory data indicated that there was only a vertical height difference of about 20 meters between the two aircraft, posing a high risk of collision. The ANA pilot immediately conducted a go-around and ascended to a higher altitude, successfully avoiding the collision. The flight eventually landed safely at 6:10 am on the same day, with no injuries reported among the passengers and crew on board. ANA has since reported the incident to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan.
Currently, Japanese authorities are conducting an investigation to gather more details regarding the incident.
The flight inspection aircraft is operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and is responsible for ensuring the proper operation of radio facilities and lighting systems crucial for flight safety from the air. As this aircraft tests the functionality of radio and radar facilities through actual flights, the Japanese government has named it “Dr. Shiro.”
Haneda Airport is one of the busiest airports in Japan, known for its high flight density and complex approach airspace.
In January 2024, there was a plane collision incident on Runway C at Haneda Airport. At that time, a Japan Coast Guard aircraft collided with a Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane landing on Runway C, resulting in both aircraft catching fire and burning. Among them, only the captain of the coast guard aircraft carrying 6 people survived, while all passengers on board the JAL flight escaped unharmed.