I saw this message on Twitter, so I looked it up. The ATC communication at the time can be heard on LiveATC, around the 26:30 mark.

However, the audio quality of the file above isn’t great. Since the Tower and TCA (Terminal Control Area) recordings are mixed together, with TCA conversations inserted in between, you cannot hear the entire process clearly.

Here is roughly what happened: Approaching from the north, Lufthansa Flight DLH716 (747-8) was originally scheduled to land on Runway 34R. However, perhaps because 34L is closer to the international terminal, the pilots asked the Tower if they could switch to 34L. It seems the Tower agreed.

From the flight path on FlightAware, you can also see that over Tokyo Bay, the aircraft made a left turn, tracking for an approach to 34L.

But suddenly, the Tower issued a Go-Around command to DLH716 and another JAL flight, JL214. You can then hear the DLH716 pilot say, “We are going around, but just to confirm, hadn’t we already been cleared for a visual approach to 34L?” Hehe.

By the way, JAL Flight 214 (Embraer 170) was arriving from Wakayama in the south, so landing on 34L was normal for them. Perhaps the Tower didn’t manage the separation between the two aircraft properly.

As you can see in the image above, after DLH716 went around for a circle, it eventually landed on 34R. We will have to wait for the relevant authorities’ analysis report to know the specific cause of this incident.

End

Lufthansa 748 (747-8) I shot at Haneda Airport yesterday. This airframe happens to be the 1500th Boeing 747 produced, so “1500” is written on the rear fuselage.