TOKYO, JAPAN – In a harrowing turn of events, the pilots of a Japan Airlines plane that burst into flames after landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport were initially unaware that the aircraft was on fire. According to local media reports, the pilots were only informed of the fire by the cabin crew, as the plane became engulfed in flames just after all 379 passengers and crew had safely evacuated. The incident occurred when the airliner collided with a coast guard plane, resulting in the deaths of all but one of the six individuals on the smaller aircraft.
Video footage shot by passengers revealed a ball of flames erupting from the airliner before it came to a halt, with the fire beginning to spread from underneath the aircraft. The national broadcaster NHK reported that the Japan Airlines pilots in the cockpit were unaware of the fire until the chief flight attendant reported the situation and requested permission to open the emergency exits.
As the cabin filled with smoke and heat, passengers pleaded for the doors to be opened, with infants crying in the background. The evacuation ultimately began from two slides at the front of the plane due to the fire, with only one other exit at the rear left remaining safe. Although the intercom system was no longer functioning, the crew at the back deemed it urgent for passengers to disembark and opened the exit, using megaphones and their own voices to guide the evacuation.
It took 18 minutes to evacuate the entire plane, with the pilot being the last person to set foot on the tarmac. Tragically, a dog and a cat, both pets, had to be left on the plane and did not survive. Investigators from Japan, France, Britain, and Canada are currently probing the crash, with charred remains of the two planes still littering one of Haneda’s four runways.
The airline estimated that the collision would result in an operating loss of about 15bn yen ($105m) but stated that the loss of the aircraft would be covered by insurance. Shares of Japan Airlines rose 0.5% on Thursday as trading resumed after the New Year’s holiday, showing a muted reaction to the crash.
As the investigation into this tragic incident continues, authorities are focused on determining the cause of the fire and the circumstances that led to the collision at Haneda Airport, in an effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.