Nearly all passengers on burning JAL A350 evacuated through two exits

Almost all the passengers on board the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 involved in the Tokyo Haneda runway collision evacuated through the two forward exits after the jet rolled to a halt. Just three of the twinjet’s eight exits – the forward right- and left-hand doors, and the rearmost right-hand door – were opened after the accident, says the Japan Transport Safety Board. While touching down at Haneda on 2 January 2024, the A350-900 struck a Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8-300 which had strayed onto the active runway 34R. The A350 was transporting 367 passengers and 12 crew members. All survived the accident. Badly damaged by the collision, the aircraft rolled off the right side of 34R and came to a halt on grass, where a fire – which had originated underneath the fuselage during the impact – took hold. One of the cabin crew informed the captain of the fire, but the evacuation command system and public-address system were not available, so the captain’s evacuation order was verbal. The crew proceeded to follow a checklist to shut down the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and activate engine extinguishers, but while the left-hand engine shut down the right-hand engine did not. After completing the checklist the crew left the cockpit to assist with evacuating passengers. Smoke had started rising from gaps between the floor and side walls near the third set of exits from the front, but the cabin crew was unable to communicate over the intercom. Flight attendants at five exits, however, saw fire outside their stations and determined that their doors could not be used. The cabin crew at the two forward exits, L1 and R1, confirmed they were available and opened them just over 4min after the collision.<br/>