18-minute 'miracle' escape from JAL plane

Here are the critical 18 minutes leading up to the escape.

Passengers Recall Shock and Flames

Passengers described seeing intense flames rising in the darkness, engulfing the aircraft with thick smoke.

Passenger: "I could see the flames clearly. I thought for sure I was going to die. It was overwhelming; I couldn’t process it and just held my head in my hands. I felt helpless."

Passenger: "Just before landing, there was a huge impact, and immediately, flames erupted from the engines on both sides of me."

Passenger: "I realized this was no small matter. I could only cover my mouth. The cabin was full of smoke; it was hard to breathe."

The collision between Japan Airlines Flight 516 and the Japan Coast Guard aircraft resulted in the deaths of five people. The airport, crowded with travelers returning home, descended into chaos.

Stranded Passenger: "I was going to Okinawa. We were on the plane, about to depart when the accident happened. We were trapped on the plane for about three hours."

Canceled Flights Lead to Long Lines for Rescheduling

Haneda Airport closed the runway where the collision occurred and canceled all flights. Long lines formed in the departure lobby as people waited to reschedule their journeys.

Person in Rescheduling Line: "I was supposed to return to Kitakyushu from Haneda. I couldn’t board because the runway was closed."

Person in Rescheduling Line: "I’ve been waiting for over two hours. I was heading to Matsuyama. I came here for New Year's to eat and drink at my daughter's place."

The peak of the return rush on Wednesday saw about 150 flights canceled, affecting over 30,000 people.

Person Returning to Okinawa: "I’ve been waiting for about a day. (On January 2nd and 3rd combined) 24 hours."

"My child is tired, but we’re managing somehow."

Person Returning to Nagasaki: "It’s tough. I have to return, or my workplace will get angry."

International Media on the "Miraculous Escape"

The Japan Coast Guard aircraft involved in the collision was en route to deliver aid to the Noto Peninsula, which had been struck by a magnitude 7 earthquake.

The moment of the collision saw the Japan Airlines plane engulfed in flames, with passengers fearing for their lives.

International media reported on the "miraculous escape," with comments like "everyone surviving is a miracle" and "it was an exemplary evacuation."

The New York Times reported, "It seemed impossible that everyone would escape unharmed."

Everyone Escapes in a Tense 18 Minutes

What happened during the tense 18 minutes of escape? Footage shot inside the aircraft offers some insights.

Around 5:47 PM on January 2nd, about a minute after the JAL plane landed and collided...

Family Recording Video: "It’s burning, burning. Something smells burnt."

"What is this, there’s fire, there’s fire."

"I smell something burning."

Next to their seats, the wing blazed with a roaring sound, and the engine area glowed red.

Family Recording Video: "The moment we landed with a thud, the screen in front lit up. When I felt the heat from the side and looked, it was on fire."

About 30 seconds after they started recording, the aircraft stopped while engulfed in flames. Four minutes after the collision...

Cabin Crew: "Cover your nose and mouth, and keep low."

"Don’t take out your luggage."

Red flames covered the windows. In the cabin, children’s cries and loud instructions from the cabin crew echoed. Passengers kept low in their seats, some covering their mouths with their hands.

Despite the plane being nearly full and surrounded by flames, there was no significant panic.

Family Recording Video: "I was sitting near the right wing, so I could see the engine fire. But when I looked to the other side, I clearly saw orange flames rising outside the window. That side was burning fiercely."

"We knew we had to escape quickly, but we tried to remain calm."

Eight minutes after the collision, at 5:55 PM, the person recording the video escaped.

As the fire trucks fought the blaze, passengers slid down one after another. Nearby, people assisted others in standing up. Some looked back in disbelief.

Family Recording Video: "It’s not something I can say lightly, but we were lucky to have survived like this."

The captain finished checking all the seats, and everyone was on the ground 18 minutes after the collision, at 6:05 PM.

Two minutes after everyone escaped, flames erupted from inside the plane. Thirty minutes later, the entire aircraft was engulfed in intense flames.

Cabin Crew Decide to Open "Only Safe Doors"

The miraculous and tense escape was credited to the cabin crew's ability to control panic, key to preventing deaths.

Mayuri Kayama, Former JAL Cabin Crew: "Cabin crew are trained to be polite and kind as part of their service hospitality. We usually use polite language. But when it comes to security, there’s no need for such formalities."

"(At the time of the accident) We probably couldn't use the in-flight announcement system, and I doubt they used a megaphone. They had to speak in a loud, deep voice, saying, 'It's okay, stay calm.' That probably helped calm the passengers."

In fact, the cabin crew's "loud voices" in the footage suggest that passengers did not panic.

When the collision happened, the intercom in the plane became unusable, and communication with the captain was lost. Cabin crew had to "decide on their own" to open only three of the eight doors—those in the front and back of the aircraft that were deemed safe—and led passengers to escape.

Kayama: "Evacuation training is the hardest and most crucial. If we can’t do it ourselves, no one will know how to open the doors or how to escape. We rigorously train for this."

During the escape...

Kayama: "Some people are too scared to move. Even in those cases, life is the top priority, so we say, 'Please go down,' and push them on the back to guide them."

Passengers jumped into the escape slide at a "high pace" of one person every 1-2 seconds. Following instructions not to take luggage, many passengers were seen without jackets.

Release of Communication Records with Control

A situation that should never happen: a landing aircraft on the runway while another plane was entering for takeoff.

Accident Investigator, Transport Safety Commission: "We have recovered the voice recorder and flight recorder. Whether they contain usable data will be determined in our subsequent work."

According to Japan Airlines sources, the pilots stated they had repeated the landing clearance from control before executing the landing.

Details of the communication at the time were revealed in records released on the 3rd.

Communication Record Released on 3rd (Original in English)

Controller: "JAL (Japan Air) 516, continue to approach Runway 34R (Runway C). There is a departing aircraft."

JAL Flight 516: "JAL516, continuing approach to Runway 34R."

Controller: "JAL516, no landing obstacles on Runway 34R (Runway C)."

JAL Flight 516: "No landing obstacles on Runway 34R."

The communication record shows that the Japan Airlines aircraft was repeating and confirming instructions from the controller while approaching for landing. Instructions to the Japan Coast Guard aircraft were...

Communication Record Released on 3rd (Original in English)

Controller: "(To Coast Guard aircraft) Please taxi to runway stop position C5 on the ground."

Japan Coast Guard Aircraft: "Moving to runway stop position C5."

The communication record indicates that the Coast Guard aircraft was instructed to move to the waiting position, and there was no further communication with control until the accident occurred.

However, after the accident, the Coast Guard pilot explained that he entered the runway after receiving clearance from control, contradicting the communication record.

Japan's Transport Safety Commission is investigating the sequence of events, while the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has set up a special investigation headquarters and is examining the incident for possible professional negligence resulting in injury or death.

Japan Airlines also canceled 63 flights on Thursday, affecting over 12,000 people.