Lesson of discipline from the Japanese and the complete evacuation of the plane engulfed in flames!

After the tragic plane crash in Japan, in which two aircraft were involved (an Airbus A350 passenger plane and a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q MPA), we learn that all passengers were evacuated in time before the civilian aircraft was completely engulfed in flames. Unfortunately, five people in the DHC-8 Japan Coast Guard plane died.

If we look at the images of the wreckage of the Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900, we think that only a miracle prevented more casualties. Did a miracle or discipline make the difference between life and death?

The evacuation of the passengers was done in 90 seconds

All 379 passengers and crew members of the Japan Airlines plane, which caught fire upon landing at Tokyo airport, were able to be safely evacuated in a record time – 90 seconds. Evacuation was done on three functional slides, due to the way the plane landed on the runway.

In addition, the chutes could not be deployed properly as they had a much steeper slope than in an "ideal" situation. Instead, the passengers left the plane without trying to get their luggage, which was a "major factor" that contributed to the success of the evacuation, reports the BBC.

Three chutes functional and available for evacuation

Despite problems with the slides, the evacuation went flawlessly. Aviation experts consulted by the BBC stated that the success of the evacuation was due both to the professionalism of the crew and the "discipline" of the passengers, who strictly followed the security protocols in such situations. Thus, the passengers of the Japan Airlines flight immediately went to the emergency exits without even taking their hand luggage, according to the instructions received in advance by the crew members. According to aviation experts consulted by the BBC, this detail was crucial to the success of the evacuation.

"In all the records I have seen, I have not seen any passengers land with any luggage. If the people on the plane had tried to take their cabin luggage with them, this would have been extremely dangerous as it would have made it difficult to evacuate”, said Ed Galea, aviation expert.

Difficulty evacuating

In addition, the pilots had great trouble getting the Japan Airlines plane, an Airbus A 350, onto the runway. “This accident was far from what we call ideal conditions. After landing, the plane was oriented nose down, which made it difficult for the passengers to move inside," the expert said.

Also, due to the aircraft's position, only three slides were functional. These performed poorly, which presented an additional hazard in the evacuation. In addition, the communication system did not work, forcing the crew members to use megaphones to make their instructions heard. A single passenger suffered a few bruises, and 13 others required medical attention for "physical discomfort," the airline said.

Discipline of passengers

"We were immediately instructed to sit down so everyone took a safe position and then evacuated the aircraft'", said one of the passengers. According to him, the flight crew gave precise instructions to calm the panicked passengers. The passengers on board reacted calmly and managed to evacuate safely.

The passengers of the Airbus 350 aircraft had another chance thanks to the model of the plane. This is the first major incident involving an A350, and aviation experts say the plane's materials made the fire spread more slowly than it would have in older models. That gave the crew members time to organize a safe evacuation before the fire completely engulfed the plane.