On April 7, 2025, Japan Airlines flight JL377 had to abort its takeoff from Tokyo Haneda Airport after it veered off the runway’s centerline. The Boeing 737-800, with 80 people on board, was heading to Kitakyushu when the incident happened. The aircraft started its takeoff from Runway D, a 2,500-meter-long runway, but quickly veered nearly 30 meters to the left of the centerline.

As the plane accelerated to 90-130 kph, its left landing gear and wing strayed off the runway for about 300 meters. The pilot noticed the drift and decided to abort the takeoff. Before stopping, the aircraft struck a blue taxiway light near Taxiway D3, forcing an emergency halt.

Investigations suggest runway lighting issues caused the confusion. The dimmed edge lights misled the pilot, who mistook them for the centerline lights. Runway repairs had deactivated several centerline lights, which worsened the issue. Lights near Taxiway D2 were off, while those near Taxiway D3 were on. The pilot noticed the dimmed centerline lights and saw the blue taxiway light, signaling the deviation.

Fortunately, the 80 passengers and crew had no injuries. After 50 minutes of safety checks, Runway D reopened, and a replacement aircraft continued the journey to Kitakyushu. Japan Airlines is fully cooperating with the investigation, focusing on how lighting conditions impacted pilot awareness and decision-making.

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