In the aftermath of the Japan Airlines jet fire incident at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, aviation experts highlight the critical role passengers’ adherence to flight crew instructions played in the swift evacuation. The plane, Japan Airlines Flight 516, caught fire after colliding with a coastguard plane during landing, resulting in a fireball. Miraculously, all passengers survived, credited to a flawless evacuation from the cabin, with passengers leaving their hand luggage behind.
Aviation professionals emphasize that the decision to abandon valuables contributed significantly to the evacuation speed. Experts note that the last person escaped just before the aircraft was engulfed in flames, pointing to the importance of passengers following safety protocols.
“I don’t see a single passenger on the ground, in any of the videos I’ve seen, that has got their luggage with them… If people tried to take their cabin luggage, that’s really dangerous because they would slow down the evacuation,” explains Prof Ed Galea, director of the fire safety engineering group at the University of Greenwich in London.
The contrast to a 2016 crash landing in Dubai, where passengers panicked to grab their possessions before evacuating, serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of attempting to retrieve luggage during an emergency. In the Japan Airlines incident, the adherence to safety measures and the passengers’ quick response, along with the crew’s rigorous training, are credited for the successful and prompt evacuation, highlighting the importance of following safety protocols in emergency situations.
