When the Airbus 350-900 collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday night,five people tragically died on the smaller plane,but the swift escape of so many people – including 12 Australians – from the smoke-filled,fire-engulfed commercial flight was a textbook example of how to survive an evacuation.
Throughout the history of modern aviation,successful emergency evacuations from commercial flights have been recorded,reminiscent of JAL516.
In July 1996,Delta Air Lines flight 1288 faced an engine failure and subsequent fire at Pensacola Regional Airport. The impact killed a female passenger and her son,while seven other passengers were injured. The crew effectively evacuated all other 131 passengers though three of them sustained minor injuries during the evacuation.
In August 2005,Air France flight 358,affected by a severe storm,overran a runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport and caught fire. Everyone escaped before the plane was fully engulfed in flames. About 12 passengers suffered injuries during this evacuation. Similar to the Japan Airlines evacuation,media outlets also called it a“miracle” sinceall 297 passengers and crew survived.
While each aircraft evacuation is unique,the JAL516 and Air France flight 358 evacuations share common elements. In both cases,some exits were inoperable either due to the fire or because they were blocked by flames engulfing part of the plane’s exterior. And in both cases,the crew had to rapidly identify which doors were safe to open by assessing the locations of fire outside the aircraft.
Not all aircraft evacuations have been successful. The tragedy of Air Canada flight 797 in 1983 is a poignant example. As smoke rapidly filled the aircraft,the pilots made an emergency landing in Ohio. Despite immediate firefighting efforts,a flash fire engulfed the plane’s interior within 60 to 90 seconds of the exits being opened. This led to the loss of 23 lives – and it marked a turning point in global aviation safety regulations. In response,significant changes were implemented to enhance aircraft safety,including mandatory installation of smoke detectors in lavatories,the addition of strip lights to mark paths to exit doors,and the enhancement of firefighting training and equipment for flight crews.