One of the 379 survivors on board a Japanese airliner that burst into flames after landing in Tokyo on Tuesday has told how the miraculous and “chaotic” 18-minute evacuation unfolded.
After landing at Haneda Airport at 5:47 p.m., Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a military earthquake relief plane, causing the Japan Coast Guard aircraft to explode in a fireball, killing five of the six people on board.
Horrifying video showed passengers trapped in the smoke-filled cabin screaming in terror as the plane's left wing burst into flames as it spun to a stop.
Over the next 18 minutes, the plane's crew dealt with several obstacles, including a door that wouldn't open quickly, a malfunctioning PA system, and a blocked chute, to ensure everyone on board was evacuated. The Wall Street Journal reported.
During the confusion, a child reportedly shouted, “Please open the door!”
By 6:05 p.m., all 367 passengers and 12 crew members had departed.
One passenger told the newspaper how he and his passengers' survival instincts and teamwork came into play.
Joseph Hayashi, a 28-year-old Dallas native who works in Tokyo, said he was initially relieved when the wheels touched down on the runway.
“I thought, 'Okay, I landed smoothly, that's cool,'” he told the newspaper. “And literally the next moment there was a huge crash and I heard a loud bang.”
As the lights went out, smoke filled the cabin from the fire that had engulfed the outside of the plane, and panic immediately began.
“I'm not a scientist, but I know fire and jet fuel is not a good recipe,” Hayashi, who was in seat 27B, said of his initial reaction.
Hayashi told this newspaper that it took flight attendants about three to five minutes to pry the door open as panicked passengers crowded in front of the plane.
“It wasn't an all-out jostling, but it was the first time I'd seen Japanese people pushing each other,” he said.
Airline officials explained that it took a while to open the door because the flight crew needed to make sure the plane had come to a complete stop and it was safe to evacuate.
Hayashi said the plane suddenly became “eerily quiet” due to the chaos, and said he got hints from fellow passengers who appeared to know about emergency procedures.
The plane's public address system was reportedly not working, so flight attendants had to yell or use a megaphone to instruct passengers to put down their luggage and take off their heels when the door opened. It is said that it did not happen.
According to the report, miraculously only about a dozen people sustained minor injuries such as bruises and sprains during the evacuation.
Airline officials attribute the huge success to advance preparation.
Airlines must be able to prove to international regulators that they can evacuate planes within 90 seconds before being allowed to operate, but simulations using actors and debris props are insufficient to recreate an actual disaster. experts told the newspaper.
In the case of Flight JL516, the nose of the aircraft was pointing downwards by the time it finally stopped rotating, making it difficult to pass through aisles and emergency exits, according to the article.
The cause of this deadly disaster is under investigation by Japan's Ministry of Transport and Japan Coast Guard.
