Japan Airlines Fire: Passenger Recalls Scary Moment Thick Smoke Started Filling Cabin

• Praises have continued streaming in for the crew and passengers of a Japan Airlines aircraft which caught fire upon landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo
• This is after they managed to work together and evacuate the burning plane in 18 minutes, saving the lives of everyone on board
• One of the passengers who escaped death recounted the ordeal, revealing that he thought he would die when thick smoke filled the cabin
• Flight JAL 516 collided with a Coast Guard Aircraft on the runway before bursting into flames

On Tuesday, January 2, passengers on board a Japan Airlines flight escaped death after their aircraft caught fire moments after landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan.

Flight JAL 516 rammed into a Japan Coast Guard Aircraft on the runway as it touched down in the country's capital from Hokkaido.

The most significant talking point in the disaster is how all 367 passengers, 12 crew members, and the captain managed to escape the burning aircraft in 18 minutes, unscathed.

Memories of tragedy

Passengers on board the ill-fated Airbus A350 recounted the harrowing incident, which started when one of the engines caught fire, as reported by The Guardian.

This was followed by thick smoke filling the cabin, with real-time images captured from the terminal building showing the aircraft in flames as it careened down the runway.

Inside the aircraft, confusion quickly turned to horror as it dawned on the passengers that they were staring death in the face.

"I was laughing a bit when I could see sparks coming out of the engine, but when the fire started, I realized there was more to it than that. I thought I was going to die," one passenger recalled.

Textbook manoeuvres saved lives

The passengers have every reason to thank the pilot who brought the burning plane to a halt in time for rescue.

Despite the aircraft's damaged PA system, the crew calmly issued instructions through megaphones.

Viral videos captured the flight attendants at the front of a smoke-filled cabin gesturing for passengers to remain seated.

Apart from the crew, the passengers also played a role in the miracle escape as they remained seated before making their way to evacuation slides.

None of them struggled to save their carry-on luggage from the overhead lockers, which ensured the routes to the emergency exits were clear.

“Leave your baggage when you evacuate!” one flight attendant could be heard shouting, emphasising the message the passengers had watched on the inflight safety video before taking off two hours earlier.

5 passengers on Coast Guard aircraft died

The sad news in the developing story is that five out of the six passengers on the Coast Guard De Havilland Dash-8 died.

Aircrash investigations are ongoing to establish how the aircraft was in the path of the Airbus A350.

Meanwhile, accolades continue streaming in for the men and women whose composure and professionalism averted hundreds of deaths.