At 12:38 on Friday, May 27, during the takeoff roll on Runway 34R at Tokyo Haneda Airport, the No. 1 engine (left side) of a Korean Air Boeing 777-300 (registration HL7534), operating as flight KE2708 from Haneda to Seoul, suddenly caught fire. The aircraft made an emergency stop and immediately deployed slides to evacuate passengers. The airport fire brigade immediately initiated firefighting operations and fully brought the fire under control around 13:10. There were 302 passengers and 17 crew members on board, but fortunately, there were no casualties.

羽田空港で事故があったから今日帰れね〜😱 pic.twitter.com/ORTEZpubQe

— じん (@jin19990704) May 27, 2016

消火活動開始 pic.twitter.com/NgBVxogcaE

— ゆういち＠おっさん (@tabijoho) May 27, 2016

午後０時半ごろ、羽田空港でソウル行きの大韓航空機の左エンジンから煙が出ました。警視庁によると、乗客や乗組員はエアシューターなどで脱出。けが人は確認されていません。（ま） pic.twitter.com/kENAp2JQpQ

— 朝日新聞映像報道部 (@asahi_photo) May 27, 2016

Following the incident, Haneda Airport closed the affected Runway, causing significant delays and cancellations; but unexpectedly, I was also affected.

On that day, I was attending a conference in Kyushu and was scheduled to take an 18:30 flight from Fukuoka Airport back to Haneda Airport. However, while still in the meeting, I suddenly received an email from ANA at 13:46, stating that the flight had been cancelled, and if I wished to change my itinerary, I should proceed to the ANA website to make changes.

Flight ANA266 on May 27 Fukuoka 18:35 Dep - Tokyo/Haneda 20:15 Arr has been cancelled.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Reservation changes can be processed via the ANA homepage until the day after the scheduled departure date of your reserved flight. For refunds, please contact the store where you purchased the ticket.

Four minutes later, I received another email from ANA, stating that due to the Runway closure, there was no estimate on when today’s flights would resume, and they strongly recommended using other means of transport, with full refunds available for return flights. (However, since this ticket was booked in conjunction with a hotel, a refund required calling the customer service center at 0570-055-820.)

As of 13:15 on May 27, due to trouble with another carrier's aircraft, the Runway at Tokyo Haneda Airport is closed, and there is no prospect for the resumption of operations for flights departing from or arriving at Tokyo Haneda Airport. We strongly recommend using other means of transportation, such as ground transport.

For tickets on ANA-operated flights that are expected to be impacted by the closure of the Runway at Tokyo Haneda Airport, we will accept changes (rebooking) and refunds for the scheduled flight without fees, regardless of the actual operational status.

With no other option, I rushed to the station to buy a Shinkansen ticket back to Tokyo, and then returned to continue the meeting. After the meeting, I took the 4.5-hour Shinkansen ride and finally made it home in the evening, though I was exhausted. After all, flying only takes an hour and a half.

However, ANA’s customer service response was commendable, notifying users of the cancellation at the earliest opportunity. Just imagine if I had only found out upon arriving at the airport that I couldn’t fly, and couldn’t even buy a Shinkansen ticket back, I would have had to sleep rough at Fukuoka Airport.

Coincidentally, I had business at Haneda Airport the very next day, May 28th, and saw the aircraft involved in the incident, HL7534, parked outside the JAL Maintenance Center, so I took a few photos to record the event.

In the photo above, the lower part of the left engine is covered with something, which is believed to be the section where the fire occurred. In the photo above, several relevant personnel wearing safety helmets can be seen, appearing to inspect the engine. A full view of both sides shows that the Flaps are still in the deployed position, but apart from the left engine, the airframe does not appear to have any other damage.

According to reports here,

Investigations by the Japan Safety Board reveal that multiple turbine blades located at the rear of the Boeing 777's engine fractured, puncturing the casing and scattering onto the Runway. It has not yet been determined if there were any anomalies with the fan blades and compressor at the very front of the engine, nor were any bird feathers or bloodstains found. Opinions suggest that the likelihood of foreign object damage due to bird strike is low, and a turbine anomaly is suspected. Korean Air introduced on the 30th that the engine was manufactured in October 2004, and no problems were found during the regular inspection in April of this year nor in the inspection prior to departure on the 27th when the fire occurred.

I suppose it will take some time before the investigation results are released.

End