On 7 April 2025, a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 737-800 rejected takeoff at Tokyo Haneda Airport after striking runway edge lights.
The incident occurred around 7:15 PM local time on runway 05. The scheduled flight, bound for Kitakyushu, was carrying 80 passengers and crew at the time of the incident.
JAL JL377 Tokyo-Kitakyushu
JAL flight JL377, operated by a Boeing 737-800 had lined up for departure after being given takeoff clearance from runway 05 Tokyo Haneda Airport.
Flight crew reportedly lined up with the runway edge lighting as a reference. As a result, the aircraft impacted the left-hand runway edge lights during the takeoff roll.
The pilots carried out a rejected takeoff procedure and brought the aircraft to a safe stop. The rejected takeoff procedure was carried out at approximated 55 knots groundspeed.
Authorities subsequently closed runway 05 for approximately an hour. This resulted in minor delays across the busy airport.
Japan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that the aircraft collided with a number of runway edge lights during the takeoff incident. Damage to edge lighting occurred near taxiway intersection D4.
The airline mustered a replacement aircraft to complete the ongoing scheduled service to Kitakyushu Airport (KKJ).
Alan Wilson from Peterborough, Cambs, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The aircraft conducting the JL377 service to Kitakyushu Airport was a Boeing 737-800, registered JA322J. This is a 15.7 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier Japan Airlines. It has been in operational service with the airline since its original delivery from the factory in September 2009.
The airline issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience and pledged full cooperation with the investigation. Rejected takeoffs, while rare, are a critical safety measure to prevent worse outcomes.
Runway edge lights guide pilots during takeoff and landing, especially in low-visibility conditions. This incident has sparked discussions about runway alignment procedures at Haneda.
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AloJapan.com