The actions of cabin crew and passengers aboard JAL Flight 516 have been praised for averting disaster, though pilots were initially unaware their plane was on fire. 

The scheduled service arriving at Tokyo Haneda airport on Tuesday night collided with a coast guard plane, killing five on board the small Bombardier Dash-8 plane on the runway. 

However, miraculously, all 367 passengers and crew were able to disembark the Airbus A350 and escape with their lives. 

According to Japanese Airlines’ managing executive director Tadayuki Tsutsumi, the plane had been in contact with air traffic control and had been preparing for “a normal entry and landing”. 

The airline insists it had been given permission to land and recordings of Air Traffic Control appear to confirm this. At 5.43pm the plane was told to continue its approach. Three minutes later it struck the small plane, apparently flight crew had no warning was there. 

It was quick thinking and safety training of the JAL crew that prevented further disaster in the following 18 minutes. 

According to the airline, despite the bumpy landing and loss of landing gear, they were unaware there was a fire aboard the aircraft or that there was need to urgently evacuate. 

It was a flight attendant who informed the pilots of the cabin fire, JAL told local news outlet NHK. 

The burned-out Japanese coast guard aircraft behind the tail fin of Japan Airlines plane at Haneda airport. Photo / Kyodo News via AP 

Passengers noticed the cabin beginning to fill with smoke but they were told to remain calm. Cabin crew had to gain permission to evacuate the cabin from the captain, however according to details provided by the airline the intercom was not in operation. 

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The plane’s purser made the decision to proceed with the evacuation anyway. 

As the fire raged on the right-hand side of the plane, crew deemed only three of the eight emergency exits were safe to use. 

Japanese Airlines said the captain was the last to evacuate at 6.05, 18 minutes after colliding with the small plane. The airline said 14 people required medical assistance after the crash landing, but were largely unharmed. All 379 people on board escaped with their lives, from the plane which continued to burn. 

The role of the passengers in safely evacuating the aircraft was also highlighted, following crew orders to leave hand luggage and head to the nearest open exit. 

According to the airline during a press conference on Tuesday night, following the accident co-operation was key to saving lives. 

There were 12 cabin crew members on board during the incident, who had to use loudhailers to pass on instructions. 

“Smoke started to come into the cabin and spread out ... cabin attendants [shouted] at passengers: ‘Leave your belongings!’, ‘Take off your high heels’, and ‘Head down’,” an airline spokesperson was quoted by the BBC. 

“Co-operation was key for all passengers to escape quickly and safely.”