Revealed: How Japan Airlines cabin crew executed ‘miraculous’ evacuation plan from Tokyo plane inferno

Children could be heard screaming and begging for their lives as bright flames erupted from the outside of the Japan Airlines plane that collided with a Coast Guard jet on the runway at Haneda Airport yesterday.

But the crew of JAL Flight 516, a 367-passenger Airbus A-350 that turned into a fireball on impact, had to keep their cool to save as many lives as possible.

Their exemplary work to save everyone on board stunned the world, and experts praised the crew for calmly using their rigorous training to save hundreds of lives.

But experts also praised the fact that the passengers “behaved well” in the face of sheer terror.

“In none of the videos I’ve seen do I see a single passenger on the ground carrying their luggage,” said Professor Ed Galea, director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich. the BBC.

Children on board can be heard screaming as flames engulf the exterior of the plane

Video footage of the accident shows passengers throwing themselves off the slide with little effort, allowing everyone to get out quickly

All 379 passengers miraculously escaped from the Japan Airlines plane after being safely evacuated

Tokyo Metropolitan Police investigators inspect the area around the Japanese Coast Guard plane that collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Haneda Airport

“If people try to take their hand luggage with them, it is very dangerous because it will delay the evacuation.”

The inferno quickly engulfed the plane and made evacuation extremely difficult.

Only three of the inflatable slides could be used, but even these would not deploy properly as the nose of the aircraft collapsed.

But video footage of the crash shows passengers flinging themselves down the slide without much fanfare, allowing everyone to get out quickly.

After the onboard Tannoy system failed during the fire, the crew were also forced to use a megaphone to give calm but clear instructions to the frightened passengers.

The video shows two crew members trying to get the tannoy system working again as children wail and beg for their lives.

Several current and former aviation industry experts told the BBC on Tuesday that Japan Airlines’ strict training measures have saved lives.

Horrific footage from inside the plane shows passengers covering their faces and struggling to breathe as the cabin fills with smoke after the fire

This aerial photo shows the burnt out Japan Airlines plane at Haneda Airport

New crew members will be required to complete up to three weeks of evacuation and rescue training before being allowed to operate commercial flights.

This training is repeated once a year to ensure it is remembered by crew members.

“We complete a written exam, case study discussions and practical training based on various scenarios, such as when the plane has to make a water landing or when there is a fire on board. Maintenance employees are also involved in such training,” said a former flight attendant who launched the company left a decade ago on condition of anonymity.

Today, to certify a passenger plane internationally, aircraft manufacturers must demonstrate that it is possible for anyone to exit the plane within 90 seconds, which sometimes requires testing with real passengers.

Aviation accidents have often been one of the main reasons for innovations in safety technology and procedures.

A Japan Airlines plane catches fire after colliding with a Coast Guard plane on the ground at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

The plane was destroyed by fire shortly after the crash

Haneda Airport was closed almost immediately after the incident

A Japan Airlines plane crashed in 1985, killing 520 people. To date, it remains the deadliest plane crash in history.

The accident shocked the Japanese aviation industry and Japan Airlines in particular wanted to ensure that something like this would never happen again.

In 2005, the company discovered that many were involved in the fatal accident without even living, and the following year opened a museum near Haneda Airport displaying wreckage from the incident, with the aim of reminding employees of the fatal consequences of the accident. do a bad job.

“Given the pain and grief of loved ones and public distrust in the safety of airlines.” [after the 1985 crash]We have promised that we will never allow such a tragic accident to happen again,” Japan Airlines wrote on the facility’s website.

“Every staff is reminded that in our work we are entrusted with valuable lives and property.”