In January 2024, a Japan Airlines Airbus passenger plane carrying 367 passengers and 12 crew collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on a runway at the Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. Upon impact, the Coast Guard aircraft burst into flames. The commercial Airbus skidded to a stop with its left engine on fire. The passengers and crew of the Airbus had only minutes to evacuate before the plan was completely engulfed in flames.
Amazingly, all 367 passengers were able to evacuate without a single fatality. Tragically, five of the six individuals on the Coast Guard aircraft were killed in the fire.
If you find yourself in an emergency evacuation of an aircraft, what can you do to increase your odds of survival?
#1: Pay attention to in-flight safety briefings
If you’ve heard one in-flight safety briefing, you’ve heard them all… right? We’ve probably all been guilty of plugging in our earbuds and listening to music or watching a movie during the standard safety briefing that occurs prior to a flight taking off.
In the U.S., these safety briefings are required by federal law. While they may often seem repetitive, or even unnecessary, real-world scenarios show that they can lead to better outcomes in emergencies.
Passengers aboard the Japan Airlines flight were shown an emergency safety demonstration video that included details about what to do in an emergency evacuation. In the crisis that unfolded during landing, it turns out that most passengers remembered and followed these instructions. This knowledge of what to do in an emergency likely contributed to their collective success in escaping the plane without a single life lost.
So next time you’re preparing for takeoff, consider taking the time to listen to the safety briefing before starting your entertainment, even if it is a little boring.
#2: Know your exits for emergency evacuation
As a general rule of crisis readiness, you should always know your exits. Being aware of just one primary exit is not enough. In a crisis, that exit may become unavailable. This is absolutely true on an aircraft, where emergency exits can quickly become inaccessible due to fire.
As you get settled into your seat on an airplane, take time to look around. What’s the nearest emergency exit? Is it in front of you? Is it behind you? If that exit was unavailable, which one would you use as a backup?
#3: Leave your belongings behind
This may be the number one most important rule for surviving an aircraft evacuation. In an emergency evacuation, we all have the natural tendency to bring our belongings with us. As a survival instinct, this actually makes sense. However, in some real-world emergencies, it’s an action that can prove fatal.
If you find yourself in an emergency airplane evacuation, it is critical that you – and all other passengers – leave your carry-on bags on the aircraft. Taking the time to collect your bags wastes precious minutes and seconds that you don’t have.
FAA requirements mandate that aircraft designs must allow all passengers to escape in 90 seconds. This is the amount of time the FAA has deemed that a cabin will remain inhabitable in an extreme fire. Imagine how long it would take for all passengers to evacuate if each person stopped to collect their bag.
Furthermore, it is much more difficult to move quickly down an aircraft aisle while carrying a carry-on bag. This makes rapid egress almost impossible.
Initial observations of the Japan Airlines flight evacuation show that passengers left their bags on the plane in order to rapidly evacuate. Some have credited this behavior to the in-flight safety briefing, which included instructions on leaving bags behind in an evacuation.
#4: Stay calm and follow instructions
In an emergency evacuation from an airplane, it is critical that passengers stay as calm as possible so that everyone can hear instructions from the flight crew. These individuals are trained in what to do during an evacuation, and they will provide direction to passengers. Focus on deep breathing to slow your heart rate, and follow the flight crew’s instructions as closely as possible.
Since you have thought ahead about this crisis scenario, you may also be in a position to help others around you by encouraging them to follow the proper protocols for airplane evacuation. In a crisis, people around you will be looking for instruction.
Parting Thoughts
While landing is statistically the most dangerous phase of a flight, fatalities during these incidents are relatively low.
By following the instructions provided in safety briefings and leaving your belongings behind, you can dramatically increase your odds of survival if you do find yourself in an emergency aircraft evacuation.
