Key Points
As Japan Airlines Flight JL516 skidded to a fiery halt after colliding with another plane on the runway at Tokyo Haneda airport on Jan. 2, cabin crew faced a daunting scenario...
The intercom system to communicate between flight deck and cabin had broken down, one of the giant engines was still spinning and couldnt be shut off, and only three of the eight escape doors were available to evacuate the stricken aircraft as flames licked up the kerosene-covered fuselage...
Given the odds, their escape is even more remarkable, the result of modern aircraft design, skilled crew and not least passengers who preserved calm and stuck to the rules.. Modern planes must be able to fully evacuate in as little as 90 seconds, using just half the number of their available exits..
The aircraft was operating at almost full capacity the particular Japan Airlines Airbus is configured to hold 369 passengers, and the domestic flight from northern Japan was crammed to just two seats below that limit...
While the investigation will seek to determine why not all doors were used to evacuate, some exits may have been damaged by the collision with the other aircraft, or flight attendants and crew decided the burning engines would place passengers in danger..
You might be interested in
Japan Airlines pilots in Tokyo plane crash had to be told of fire by cabin crew – report
04, Jan, 24Flight attendants needed permission from cockpit to open emergency exits, broadcaster reports
Japan Airlines flight with over 300 onboard catches fire on Tokyo airport runway; WATCH
02, Jan, 24A spokesperson at Japan Airlines said the aircraft, originating from Shin-Chitose airport in Hokkaido, was carrying more than 300 passengers.
‘Emergency doors opened, we threw ourselves’: Japan flyer recounts fire horror
02, Jan, 24Passengers of a Japanese Airlines flight which caught on fire after colliding with a coast guard jet recounted the horror as the aircraft caught on fire and smoke filled the cabin.
Videos: Passengers scream in smoke-filled cabin of Japan's blazing plane
02, Jan, 24Fire on Japan Plane: While the jet burst into flames, smoke filled in the cabin causing panic among the 379 people who were on board the flight. | World News
Federal officials order grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after plane suffers a blowout
07, Jan, 24Federal officials order grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after plane suffers a blowout | World News
Japan Airlines pilots had no 'visual contact' before collision at Tokyo airport
04, Jan, 24The Japan Airlines aircraft hit a coast guard plane after landing at Tokyo airport, in which five people on the smaller aircraft were killed. The three pilots of the passenger aircraft were also unable to see the fire from the cockpit when it first broke out and were informed of it by cabin crew.
Over 370 passengers & crew escape from burning plane at Tokyo’s Haneda airport
02, Jan, 24The reason behind the inferno could be a possible collision with a Coast Guard aircraft, Reuters reported.
Video: Japan Airlines jet catches fire after Tokyo airport collision, all passengers safe
02, Jan, 24A Japan Airlines flight caught fire as it landed in Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday. The fire was a result of a collision with a Coast Guard plane. All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on the Japan Airlines flights have been evacuated.
Air India to hire 500 cabin crew, 50 pilots every month for its rapid fleet expansion: CEO Campbell Wilson
20, Apr, 23Air India CEO Campbell Wilson takes us through the airline’s plans for induction of 470 aircraft into the fleet, the massive recruitment drive being undertaken to cater to the airline’s rapid expansion and more
Japan plane crash: why the jet didn’t explode on impact – explainer
03, Jan, 24Experts have been examining how all passenger and crew on board the Japan Airlines flight to Haneda managed to escape alive