Japan Airlines pilots initially did not know plane was ablaze at Tokyo’s Haneda airport: report
- National broadcaster NHK said the pilots in the cockpit were unaware about the fire until being informed by the cabin crew
- It took 18 minutes to evacuate the entire aircraft and eight hours to put out the blaze that also left a pet dog and cat dead
The three pilots were unable to see the fire from the cockpit when it first broke out and were informed of it by cabin crew, a JAL spokesman said.
The spokesman also said the pilots had no “visual contact” with the other aircraft in the collision.
The airliner collided with a coastguard plane after landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday evening. All but one of the six people on the smaller aircraft were killed.
A ball of flame erupted from the airliner before it came to a halt, with the fire beginning to spread from underneath the aircraft, footage shot by passengers showed.
The chief flight attendant, one of nine on board, reported to the cockpit that the plane was burning as the cabin crew needed permission to open the emergency exits, NHK reported.
