A passenger plane burst into flames as it landed at a Tokyo airport Tuesday, after a collision with a coast guard aircraft that killed five people, officials said.
All 379 passengers and crew were able to make it out of the Japan Airlines plane, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said at a news conference. The coast guard pilot escaped but five crew members were killed, he added.
The coast guard aircraft was going to fly earthquake relief to Niigata prefecture on the country’s west coast after a series of strong tremors killed at least 48 people and left widespread damage, Saito said at a news conference. There was no immediate information about the cause of the incident, he said.
That’s remarkable.
We’ve gotten so much better at airplane evacuations over the years. The HEAVILY REGULATED airline industry is a masterclass in actually learning from tragedy.
Edit: Christ Almighty, I’ll split the hair, you guys.
Was it the airline industry or was it regulations and every country unanimously coming together to create and support said regulations? Because I feel like the airline industry would cram us in to the passenger bay like luggage and the regulatory agencies say that certain aisle space and chair space needs to be given for a safe and orderly evacuation.
Airlines don’t care if you make it off the plane in one piece.
It’s the regulatory bodies doing all the safety heavy lifting and ensuring airlines and airframe manufacturers follow the rules.
Airlines do care if a plane is out of service or totalled.
It’s manufacturers who benefit if it is.
Since the jet was already touched down and slowing when it collided, they were able to deploy the air ramps and get everyone off very quickly. Fire gutted the aircraft after it was emptied.
Video from inside the plane immediately after the accident showed only a small amount of smoke in the cabin. Everyone did their job and everyone survived.