JAPAN JET CRASH: AIRLINE PILOTS UNAWARE OF CABIN FIRE UNTIL CREW TOLD THEM

Pilots of a Japanese airliner that collided with a smaller plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport were initially unaware that their jet was on fire.

It was a flight attendant who informed them of the cabin fire, a Japan Airlines spokesperson told the BBC. After that, the evacuation of all 379 on board Japan Airlines Flight 516 proceeded with life-saving precision. Five of six people on board the smaller coastguard plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, died. “Right after the plane touched down, the pilot felt a sudden shock, and lost control to stay in the runway. A fire took place but the pilots didn’t recognise it in the beginning and learned about it [through the] cabin attendant,” the JAL spokesperson said.