JAL Jet Has Near-Miss with Small Plane in Southwestern Japan

A Japan Airlines Co. jet had a near-miss incident with a small plane in southern Kyushu on Saturday, the transport ministry said Sunday.

Nobody was injured in the incident that occurred between a JAL Boeing 767 and a BN2B Islander operated by New Japan Aviation Co. just over 5 km southeast of Kagoshima airport.

The distance between the planes at the time of the incident was not immediately known, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

When the Boeing 767, which had departed Tokyo's Haneda airport with 250 passengers and crew members aboard, was descending at an altitude of about 300 meters around 4:50 p.m., its pilot saw the small plane approaching from the lower left and changing course toward the same runway as the JAL jet, according to the ministry.

Recognizing the case as being a "serious incident" that could have led to an accident, the Japan Transport Safety Board will probe the near-miss by sending three investigators to the airport in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Monday.

Officials from both JAL and NJA said the planes had obtained permission to land.