Details and new evidence are coming to light every day about the circumstances under which it happened, as well as those that prevailed inside the Japan Airlines Airbus immediately after the collision with the Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

According to new information that comes to be added to what has been known so far, the Airbus pilots were initially unaware that their craft was on fire.

It was a flight attendant who informed them of the cabin fire, a Japan Airlines spokesperson told the BBC.

After that, the evacuation and of 379 passengers on Japan Airlines Flight 516 he proceeded with salutary precision.

Five of the six people aboard the Coast Guard’s smallest plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, were killed.

“Immediately after the plane landed, the pilot felt a sudden shock and lost control to stay on the runway.” the JAL spokesman said.

Three pilots and 12 flight attendants were on board the plane when the incident occurred. The aircraft’s public address system was damaged and the crew had to use loudspeakers and their own voices to direct passengers.

“The first thing the flight attendants did after they realized their plane was on fire was to tell them to stay calm and not get up, which could make evacuation very difficult. The announcement system was useless, these instructions were made without it.”

Japanese media described the evacuation as the “miraculous 18 minutes”. Passengers dropped their carry-on bags, ran to the emergency exits and evacuated the aircraft before it burst into flames.

“As smoke began to enter the cabin and spread, flight attendants began shouting to passengers: ‘put your belongings down, take off your high heels and put your head down,'” the spokesman said.

“Cooperation was key to all passengers being able to escape quickly and safely,” they added.