Japan Airlines Pilots Initially Unaware Plane Was On Fire, Evacuation Took 18 Minutes

Japan Airlines Pilots Were Unaware That Plane Was On Fire, Reports Reveal

Earlier this week, the world was rocked by news of a deadly collision between a Japan Airlines (JAL) aircraft and a Coast Guard plane in Japan, killing five.

Subsequently, communication records showed that the Japan Coast Guard plane had not received clearance to take off.

Reports have now emerged that the JAL pilots were initially unaware that the plane had caught fire.

Evacuation of all passengers and crew on board took about 18 minutes.

Japan Airlines pilots were unaware plane was on fire

According to Japanese news site NHK World-Japan, JAL representatives said the pilots were initially unaware that the aircraft was ablaze.

The pilots only became aware of the fire when the chief flight attendant informed those in the cockpit.

With the cabin filling up with smoke, flight attendants urged passengers to remain calm.

The evacuation reportedly started from the two exits at the front of the plane. However, only one exit at the back was safe.

JAL said the flight attendants acted on their own initiative and opened the door to let passengers exit, instructing them to slide down inflatable chutes onto the tarmac.

The company also confirmed that the captain was the last to leave the plane.

Ultimately, the evacuation of the 379 crew members and passengers took about 18 minutes.

Air traffic controllers did not discuss aborting landing with JAL pilots

In a separate report, NHK World-Japan stated that air traffic control did not discuss aborting the landing with the JAL plane before the collision. This is according to radio communication records released by Japan’s transport ministry.

The ministry said that air traffic controllers were unaware that the Coast Guard plane had entered the runway.

In addition, the JAL pilots said it did not have “visual contact” with the Coast Guard aircraft as it approached the runway.

Both the control tower and the JAL pilots were therefore unaware that the plane had entered the runway.

Citing the transport ministry, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday (3 Jan) that the Coast Guard plane did not have clearance to take off.

Collision killed 5 Coast Guard members

The airline additionally said that the flight touched down on Runway C of Haneda airport at around 5.47pm.

It then collided with a Coast Guard plane and caught fire, skidding along the runway for a kilometre before slowing to a stop.

The crash killed five Coast Guard members, including a 27-year-old communications officer.

An investigation into the collision is still ongoing by the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB).

Investigators from the board plan to interview the pilots of both planes and relevant officials to determine how the planes ended up on the runway together.

This began on Thursday (4 Jan) morning, with Japanese transport investigators questioning the JAL pilots.

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Featured image adapted from Reuters.