Tokyo, Oct 12: A Japanese airliner and a naval plane narrowly escaped a mid-air collision last week when they came as close as 30 metres in zero visibility near a Pacific islet south of Tokyo, reports said today. The alleged near-miss, which took place last Tuesday, was reported by air Nippon K K (ANK), a domestic unit of all Nippon Airways Co Ltd to the transport ministry yesterday, major newspapers said.

A naval defence force spokesman confirmed that one of its P3C submariner spotters came close to an ANK Boeing-737 jet near Hachijo Island, some 280 kilometres south of Tokyo, early last Tuesday. "But the P3C pilot did not recognise any possibility of a collision or contact with the civil aircraft," the spokesman told a news agency.

No officials were immediately available at the airline and the ministry to confirm the reports. The Boeing-737, carrying 62 passengers and crew members, was caused by its automatic collision avoidance system to make an emergency ascent when it was preparing to land on the island, the reports said.

The airliner was at an altitude of 300 metres in clouds, when it came across a P3C anti-submarine patrol plane, 30 metres below, according to radar images, the reports said. Bureau Report