1Berita.com – All 367 passengers and 12 crew members of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 successfully evacuated the aircraft before it was fully engulfed in flames at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. The incident occurred after the plane collided with a Coast Guard aircraft.
The pilot of the Coast Guard’s Bombardier Dash-8 survived, but five crew members lost their lives. Within 20 minutes, all passengers and crew members of Japan Airlines were evacuated to safety.
How did hundreds of passengers manage to disembark from the Airbus A350 without any fatalities or serious injuries? “I think there are many things that allow people to get off an aircraft like this without experiencing death,” said Robert Sumwalt, a transportation safety analyst and former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board in Canada.
One factor considered to have played a role in the success of the large-scale evacuation is the technology in the design of modern aircraft. According to Sumwalt, the interiors of new aircraft models are made to better withstand fire. “The side walls don’t burn as fast as on previous-generation aircraft,” he added.
As reported by detikINET from CBS, the body of such modern aircraft is made of carbon-composite fibers, not conventional aluminum. The aircraft body likely protects passengers from fire as it does not burn for a certain period.
Another contributing factor to the successful evacuation is the professionalism of the cabin crew and the discipline of the passengers. “The flight attendants asked us to stay calm and instructed us to exit the aircraft,” said one passenger, Satoshi Yamake, to Reuters.
Videos show passengers walking quickly but calmly as they descend the inflatable evacuation slides and then run away from the aircraft. They also obediently refrained from bringing luggage to ensure a smooth evacuation.
“This shows excellent training. And if you look at the video, people aren’t trying to get stuff out from above. They are concentrating on getting out of the plane,” said John Cox, a safety consultant, to AP.
