Travel
On January 2, 2024, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900, Flight 516, was involved in a devastating incident at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The plane, carrying 367 passengers and 12 crew members, collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on the runway, resulting in a massive fire that engulfed both planes. Miraculously, all passengers on the Japan Airlines flight were safely evacuated, but five crew members from the coast guard aircraft lost their lives.
A 17-year-old passenger, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared their harrowing experience of being on board the Japan Airlines plane when it caught fire. "I was sitting near the window, and everything seemed normal until we landed. Then, suddenly, there was a loud noise, and flames started spreading from the back of the plane," the teenager recounted. "It was terrifying to see the fire getting bigger and bigger, but the crew acted quickly to evacuate us."
The passenger described the evacuation process as chaotic but orderly. "We were told to leave our belongings behind and move quickly to the emergency exits. The slides were deployed, and we had to slide down to safety. It was a bit scary, but everyone was helping each other," they explained.
Despite the intense situation, the teenager praised the crew's professionalism and calm demeanor. "The flight attendants were shouting instructions and guiding us to the exits. They were really brave and helped us stay calm," they said.
The incident has raised questions about safety protocols and runway management at Haneda Airport. It was later revealed that the runway warning lights, which indicate whether a runway is clear, were not functioning at the time of the incident3. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the collision and whether the lack of warning lights contributed to the accident.
The Japan Airlines plane, an Airbus A350-941, was a total loss after being engulfed in flames. The aircraft had been delivered to Japan Airlines in November 2021 and was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines34.
The evacuation of the Japan Airlines plane was completed within about 18 minutes, with passengers using three emergency exits. Despite some injuries, all passengers were safely evacuated, thanks to the swift action of the crew and emergency responders4.
Sources:
Eric Cheung, Pete Muntean, Lauren Koenig, CNN - https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/02/asia/japan-airlines-plane-fire-airport-intl-hnk/index.html
Karson Yiu and Kevin Shalvey, ABC News - https://abcnews.go.com/International/japan-airlines-flight-crew-acknowledged-repeated-permission-land/story?id=106066266
The Aerospace Society - https://www.aerosociety.com/news/jal-a350-crash-emergency-evacuation-analysis/