Lucky White Heather

[douglas9401]

Somebody must have bought some recently.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-67862184

[wolf63]

Luck was definitely on their side.

[237SJ]

Ironic that aircraft are now made of composite because it is better for the environment but when it catches fire, it's a massive health hazard.

[douglas9401]

One reason they try to keep them unlit I suppose. 🙄

[roopower]

People in the smaller plane may not have been so lucky.

[237SJ]

The Japanese are quite compliant - I would be surprised if lots of them tried to grab their cabin baggage before evacuating like some which probably saved lives.

[Ellipsis]

Either more compliant or less stupid, take your choice ...

[retrocop]

Both. 

The 5 coastguard crew were tragically killed though. They were ready to deliver aid to the eartquake victims.

[theshedman]

Main question that will be asked is why both were on the runway at the same time.  

[mushroom25]

// why both were on the runway at the same time.  //

it happens, sadly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_runway_disaster ;

[bednobs]

i was struck in the news conference how much info they gave and how quickly.  You wouldnt see that here i think

[theshedman]

mushroom25, it does happen occasionally but it shouldn't especially with the safety they have these days.

[New Judge]

"Main question that will be asked is why both were on the runway at the same time.proceed"

Preliminary (unconfirmed) reports say that the coastguard plane was instructed to  a holding point off the main runway and partway down it (it was a small Dash8 aircraft requiring a short take off run). It was to hold there untill the A350 landed. It either mistook that instruction, believing it was clear to enter the runway and take off, or that it mistook where the holding point was and strayed on to the runway. There seems no dispute that the A350 had been given permission to land.

What is more remarkable about the evacuation of the A350 was that it was achieved with only three of the eight emergency exits available for use. The other five were blocked by the fire.

Runway incursions are the biggest single cause of air crashes and their consequences are often catastrophic. This includes the "Big Daddy" of them all:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster

[237SJ]

^ In that kind of catastrophic situation, it would be very rare for all exits to be usable.  It's possible to evacuate in 90 secs with 50% of the doors unusable.  A very good example of how you can get everyone off a burning aircraft if they don't take their cabin baggage with them.

[Peter Pedant]

mushroom25, it does happen occasionally but it shouldn't

yeah there is another thread devoted to how wonderfully successful it all was...

( from which I was deleted for saying, it WASN'T that successful - ho hum, AB approaching the  week end I suppose. Logic rules)

[237SJ]

You were probably deleted because you were talking crap as usual.  Believe me, the situation with JAL could have been so much worse.

[New Judge]

A transcript of the Air Traffic Control instructions to the coastguard Dash-8 confirms that the aircraft was told to proceed to a holding points and await the landing of the A350:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-67874607

@17:45.01 Tower to JAL515 [Japan Airways A350]: “Cleared to land Runway 34R JAL516”

@17:45.11 Tower to JA722A [Coastguard Plane]: “Tokyo Tower. Good evening No. 1, taxi to holding point C5.”

@17:45.19 JA722A to Tower: “Taxi to holding point C5, JA722A No. 1, thank you.”