Japan jet crash: Airline pilots unaware of cabin fire until crew told them

The pilots of a Japanese airliner, which collided with a smaller coastguard plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport, were initially oblivious to the fact that their aircraft was ablaze. It was a flight attendant who alerted them to the cabin fire, according to a spokesperson from Japan Airlines. Following this, the evacuation of all 379 passengers on board Japan Airlines Flight 516 was executed with life-saving precision.

Tragically, five out of six individuals on board the smaller coastguard plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, perished in the incident. The pilots of the airliner experienced a sudden jolt upon landing, subsequently losing control and veering off the runway. A fire ensued, but the pilots were initially unaware of it until informed by a cabin attendant. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was manned by three pilots and 12 flight attendants.

The aircraft's announcement system was rendered inoperative due to the collision, forcing the crew to resort to megaphones and their own voices to relay instructions. The flight attendants' first course of action upon realizing the passengers were aware of the fire was to maintain calm and prevent them from standing up, which could have hindered the evacuation process. The passengers promptly abandoned their hand luggage, rushed to the emergency exits, and slid out of the aircraft before it was completely consumed by flames.