Japan Airlines reveals details of 18 minutes evacuation from burning passenger plane after collision

Japan Airlines reveals details of 18 minutes evacuation from burning passenger plane after collision

It was indeed a miraculous escape of all 379 people on board Japan Airlines Flight 516 that collided with a coast guard jet on 2 January, 2024, at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. According to details revealed by JAL, pilots of their passenger flight were initially unaware that a fire had broken soon after touch down.

The three pilots of the passenger flight were informed by the chief flight attendant that the plane was burning, said JAL.

It further revealed that the pilots of Flight 516 had no visual contact with the smaller aircraft as they approached towards the runway of Haneda airport and therefore, there was no discussion among them on aborting the landing.

After being informed about the fire, the pilots became extra cautious and were speeding up to halt the aircraft and quickly evacuate all on board.

The JAL aircraft skidded along the runway for about a kilometer before coming to a halt.

Miraculous Rescue

Sharing in detail about rescue of 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board Flight 516, JAL said the aircraft touched down on Runway C around 5:47 pm (local time), when it collided with a coast guard plane and burst into flames.

All the people in the JAL Flight 516 were evacuated at Tokyo airport in 18 minutes.

With fire engulfing JAL plane even before it came to a halt, smoke filled the cabin and flight attendants swept into action urging passengers on board to remain calm.

The situation became all the more worse after the intercom system inside the flight stopped functioning. The crew members patiently managed the situation and began the evacuation process from two exits at the front of the aircraft.

The airline said only one exit at the rear of the plane was safe. After the plane came to a halt, flight attendants immediately opened the door to let passengers out. They also directed them to slide down inflatable chutes onto the tarmac.

JAL said the captain was the last person to evacuate at 6:05 pm (local time).

Investigation has been launched by the Japan Transport Safety Board to ascertain the real cause of collision.