What is the 90-second rule that saved the lives of 379 passengers in a Japanese plane fire?

The effort of the crew on board JAL516 in evacuating passengers is truly impressive. There were no fatalities on board and only 17 passengers suffered minor injuries.

Even in the first days of the new year 2024, the world aviation industry has to record another serious accident at Haneda Airport located in Tokyo, Japan.

Accordingly, at about 17:45 on January 2 (local time), Japan Airlines passenger flight JAL516 was in the process of landing when it suddenly collided with a Coast Guard machine on the runway at Haneda Airport.

At the time of the incident, the Japan Airlines Airbus 350 was carrying 379 people, including passengers and crew members. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft is believed to be carrying six people and was en route to Niigata Airport to provide aid to victims of the Jan. 1 earthquake in Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture.

According to the recorded images, immediately after landing, the Airbus 350 after landing and colliding strongly with the coast guard plane immediately caught fire violently and skidded for a long distance. After about 10 minutes, it began to explode, making the flames even more intense, creating a terrifying scene in the middle of the runway.

Many people said the scene of the plane bursting into flames was extremely strong despite the firefighting efforts of firefighters. The image of the plane burning to the ground only inert after the fire shocked many people.

At the time of the incident, 5 people on board the Coast Guard aircraft were pronounced deceased, the only survivor being the aircraft commander who was seriously injured. Meanwhile, all 379 people on board the passenger plane were lucky to evacuate in time using an emergency slide. As a result, there were no consequences of excessive human casualties.

According to Braithwaite, an aviation expert, according to safety rules, each aircraft design must meet the requirement that it can be evacuated within 90 seconds and have 50% emergency exits in the event of an unexpected accident. This is called the "90-second rule" that many people refer to.

After the incident, only 17 passengers out of 379 suffered minor injuries, while the rest were in stable health after being taken out. Aviation security expert Jaffrey Price called the task of evacuating passengers from the incident of the Japan Airlines plane catching fire a "miracle."

"It took about 90 seconds for the flames to burn through the fuselage. Based on those numbers, passengers and crew almost have to handle themselves in the first 1-2 minutes before outside help," Price added.

In addition, some other reasons that make the evacuation of passengers more convenient can be mentioned as the design of the aircraft. According to experts, the design of the Airbus A350 aircraft like the one that crashed recently is from a special material, capable of preventing fire from spreading quickly into the passenger compartment and producing less toxic fumes.

According to a 2002 study, pilots have about 17 minutes to land a plane in the event of a fire. Therefore, the fact that Japan Airlines aircraft can land on the runway in time is an extremely important factor to give people more time to get out.

At the same time, Japan Airlines staff have been trained in emergencies. Therefore, when any incident occurs, they can also remain calm and ensure the safety of the passengers on the flight.