A high-stakes aerial near-miss occurred this Tuesday morning at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), raising significant concerns regarding runway safety. An All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 767, which had been performing an arrival sequence from Shanghai, came perilously close to a Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) flight inspection Cessna Citation CJ4. According to Simple Flying, the two aircraft reached a proximity of approximately 70 feet—or 20 meters—during the final approach phase, narrowly avoiding a potential collision.

The incident took place while the ANA widebody jet was in the final stages of its landing approach. The smaller JCAB inspection aircraft, typically utilized for calibrating navigation equipment at airports, was in the vicinity, leading to a dangerous reduction in vertical separation. Aviation safety officials are currently reviewing the sequence of events to determine if the proximity resulted from controller error, miscommunication, or equipment failure. Runway incursions and proximity incidents have become a point of increased scrutiny for global aviation regulators in recent years.

While major widebody disasters are statistically rare, this close-call at one of Japan's busiest aviation hubs serves as a stark reminder of the complexities involved in managing air traffic flow at high-density international airports. Investigators from Japan's transport ministry are expected to conduct a thorough audit of the air traffic control logs and the flight data recorders from both aircraft. Neither the passengers nor the crew onboard the ANA flight sustained injuries, and the landing was ultimately completed safely despite the alarming encounter. The incident will likely trigger a review of operational procedures for flight inspection aircraft operating concurrently with commercial arrivals.