The near-impossible stories of air crash survivals: Following Japan Airlines fireball runway landing, other tales of amazing crash escapes
Published: 08:14, 6 January 2024 | Updated: 08:14, 6 January 2024
The world watched in horror as a Japan[2] Airlines jet erupted into flames at an airport near Tokyo this week after colliding with a small Coast Guard aircraft in what would be every passenger’s nightmare.
But miraculously all 379 passengers and crew on board the large airliner managed to escape with their lives as the plane was engulfed in a raging inferno on the runway at Haneda Airport in Ota City.
Such miraculous escapes are extremely rare but there have been other extraordinary tales of survival with passengers managing to flee their burning planes just in time.
From the heroics of pilot Chelsey Sullenberger who saved all 155 passengers and crew by landing his flight in the Hudson River to the evacuation of hundreds from a burning plane in Dubai, people have survived aviation disasters against the odds.
Here MailOnline takes a look at some of the most miraculous cases of passengers escaping from plane crashes with their lives.
Japan Airlines Flight 516 plane in flames at Haneda Airport on January 2, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.
The airplane collided with a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) aircraft on arrival at Haneda Airport
Miracle on Hudson River
In arguably one of the most famous cases of an aviation disaster turning into a tale of miraculous survival, Pilot Chelsey Sullenberger saved all 155 passengers and crew on a US Airways flight by conducting an astonishingly soft landing in the Hudson River.
The Airbus had just taken off from New York’s LaGuardia airport for Charlotte in North Carolina[3] on January 15 2009 when it struck a flock of Canadian geese at 3,000 feet, causing both engines to fail.
Sullenberger and co-captain Jeff Skiles told air traffic controllers they couldn’t make it back to LaGuardia. Sullenberger’s choices were a small airport for private aircraft in New Jersey – possibly too far – or the river.
But the pilot was able to successfully land the American Airlines Flight 1549 in the freezing cold Hudson River after telling passengers to ‘brace for impact’.
Following the extraordinarily skillful landing in the Hudson River, frantic passengers scrambled out onto the plane’s wings, the chilly river water lapping at their feet in 2009
A diver, left, aboard an NYPD vessel prepares to rescue passengers from the aircraft in 2009
In arguably one of the most famous cases of an aviation disaster turning into a tale of miraculous survival, Pilot Chelsey Sullenberger saved all 155 passengers and crew on a US Airways flight by conducting an astonishingly soft landing in the Hudson River
Emergency personnel search for passengers after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York on January 15, 2009
Passengers are rescued after a U.S. Airways plane landed in the Hudson River in New York on January 15, 2009
Somehow the plane stayed in one piece and missed the George Washington Bridge by just 900 feet, and began floating fast towards the harbour.
Following the extraordinarily skillful landing, frantic passengers scrambled out onto the plane’s wings, the chilly river water lapping at their feet. Commuter ferryboats steamed to the rescue as the aircraft slipped under the water.
Women and children – including a mother and her baby – were allowed to go first, survivors said.
The emergency chutes were used as rafts to take passengers onto the bigger tourist boats that were standing by to help.
All 155 passengers survived, with only four passengers and one flight attendant suffering minor injuries including hypothermia and a broken collarbone. Although several people fell into the cold water, they were pulled out by divers.
New York governor David Paterson hailed the near-disaster as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’. The story was made into the movie ‘Sully’ starring Tom Hanks[4] as the pilot.
Somehow the plane stayed in one piece and missed the George Washington Bridge by just 900 feet, and began floating fast towards the harbour
Following the extraordinarily skillful landing, frantic passengers scrambled out onto the plane’s wings, the chilly river water lapping at their feet. Commuter ferryboats steamed to the rescue as the aircraft slipped under the water
In this photo taken by a passenger on a ferry, airline passengers evacuate a US Airways Airbus 320 jetliner that safely ditched in the frigid waters of the Hudson River in New York in 2009
On the 10th anniversary of his heroic landing, Sullenberger said his main priority was the safety of the passengers on board.
During the rescue, he checked the cabin twice to make sure it was cleared.
‘I was deathly afraid after the landing was accomplished and we’d pulled that off that someone might slip into the water unnoticed and drown, or succumb to hypothermia,’ Sullenberger said at the time.
‘I was on pins and needles for four terrorising hours until finally that evening – still in the hospital being evaluated – I got the word it was official, everyone was safe. Only then could I feel the weight of the universe being lifted off my heart.’
Plane from Newark makes fiery belly landing in Warsaw
Passengers on board a Boeing 767 miraculously survived after their plane was forced into an emergency landing that saw the aircraft erupt into flames following a catastrophic equipment failure.
The pilot was forced to bring the LOT plane carrying 230 people in to land at Warsaw airport in Poland[5] with no wheels in November 2021 after all its landing gear failed.
Terrifying video showed the aircraft skidding along the tarmac on its belly, sparks flying, before a fire broke out in the starboard engine as the plane came to a halt.
Incredibly nobody on the flight, which came from Newark, New Jersey[6], was injured but afterwards disembarking passengers spoke of their alarm.
‘I was praying for the pilot not to lose control because we started to make circles over the airport. It was terrible,’ passenger Teresa Kowalik said at the time.
The pilot told passengers four hours into the flight that the plane faced technical problems, passengers said.
‘The pilot addressed us a number of times and said we should follow instructions.
Later, a flight attendant said there might be a fire, and at that point people began to get nervous and uncertain,’ one said.
Terrifying images showed the aircraft skidding along the tarmac on its belly, sparks flying, before a fire broke out in the starboard engine as the plane came to a halt
Terrifying images showed the aircraft skidding along the tarmac on its belly, sparks flying, before a fire broke out in the starboard engine as the plane came to a halt
As the plane crash landed on its belly, sparks and black smoke rose from the aircraft, sending panic through the cabin with many passengers and bidding what they thought would be their final goodbyes to one another.
As the situation unfolded emergency services were waiting at the end of the runway to deal with any potential disaster, while two F-16 fighter jets escorted it to the ground.
The pilot had radioed ahead to let the control tower know there was a problem with deploying the landing gear. After several attempts, however, it was decided that the aircraft would have to come down without any wheels.
While the plane circled the Polish capital for an hour, dumping excess fuel and repeatedly trying to solve the problem, ground crews prepared for a crash landing, closing the airport to all other flights and clearing nearby streets. Waiting fire crews also sprayed the runway with foam in a bid to prevent a fire from breaking out.
The pilot lifted the nose of the aircraft slightly as it approached the tarmac.
As it slid along the runway, smoke billowed from the undercarriage followed by bright flashes from under the engines.
When it came to a halt, fire engines that were waiting along the sides and at the end of the tarmac rushed towards the plane, dowsing it with foam. Meanwhile, passengers were quickly taken off down the inflatable chutes on either side.
Astonishingly, all 230 people on board were unhurt in the emergency landing.
Emirates double decker jet bursts into flames on landing and all passengers survive
In August 2016, an Emirates double decker jet crash-landed at Dubai[7] International Airport before it exploded into a giant fireball with 300 people on board.
Shocking footage from inside the Boeing 777 flight showed passengers screaming in terror as smoke filled the cabin just minutes before it exploded.
Panicked cabin crew forced open the emergency exit doors in a desperate bid to get all 300 people on board out safely.
But travellers were seen scrambling to collect their luggage as the cabin filled with smoke and oxygen masks dangled from the ceiling.
An Emirates airlines Boeing 777-300 A6-EMW plane flight number EK521 from Trivandrum to Dubai lays on the ground in Dubai airport after being gutted by fire due to a mechanical failure at Dubai international airport on 3 August 2016
Minutes later, as passengers fled the destroyed plane, it exploded into a fireball that claimed the life of hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan
Minutes later, as passengers fled the destroyed plane, it exploded into a fireball that claimed the life of hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan
As the woman holding the camera guides her children to the emergency exit, where passengers were throwing themselves down inflatable slides, a voice can be heard shouting for her to ‘jump, jump, jump’.
She continues filming throughout her dramatic escape, and as she flees the wreckage the camera[8] captures a glimpse of the flaming engine.
Minutes later, as passengers fled the destroyed plane, it exploded into a fireball that claimed the life of hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan.
It emerged that pilots tried to abort the landing moments before the jet crashed, telling air traffic controllers they wanted to ‘go around’.
Controllers at Dubai International had to remind pilots on the Boeing 777 to lower the landing gear as it came in to land, according to the respected Aviation Herald, which monitors air accidents.
Minutes later, as passengers fled the destroyed plane, it exploded into a fireball that claimed the life of hero firefighter Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan
Footage showed the plane’s wing bent at an alarming angle above the flaming engine as the belly of the plane appears to be in contact with the runway itself – strongly suggesting that the crash was due to a fault in the landing gear.
All of those on board, including 24 Britons and six Americans, were led to safety at Dubai International Airport, minutes before the Boeing 777 was completely destroyed in a massive fireball.
All 99 passengers survive fiery crash in Mexico
An Aeromexico plane with 103 people onboard crashed in flames near an airport in northern Mexico[9] in 2018 within minutes of it taking off due to strong winds.
The pilot was trying to abort take-off from Durango International Airport, northern Mexico, but did so too late and crashed into an area of scrubland at the end of the runway.
Terrifying footage filmed by American teenager Ashley Garcia showed the plane racing down the runway and rising up into the air before it abruptly dropped and crashed into the ground in a fireball explosion.
As the plane rapidly lost speed, passengers could be heard screaming and praying before the aircraft slammed into the runway.
The impact destroyed the plane’s engines before it skidded to a halt about 1,000 ft beyond the runway and burst into flames.
Red Cross workers and rescue workers carry an injured person on a stretcher, right, as airline workers, left, walk away from the site where an Aeromexico airliner crashed in a field near the airport in Durango, Mexico, on July 31 2018
The flaming wreckage of the AeroMexico plane after crash in 2018
An orange flash of flames can be seen in the video as the plane crashed, throwing Ashley and her fellow screaming passengers forward.
Her harrowing video showed the horrific aftermath of the crash, as terrified passengers quickly fled the aircraft, knowing that it could explode any second.
The hysterical high school student repeatedly shouted her disbelief at what happened as passengers ran across scrubland clutching what they managed to take with them.
All 99 passengers and four crew miraculously survived the crash, which has been dubbed the ‘Miracle of Durango’.
Another video by passenger Ramin Parsa also showed the moment of the crash and the piercing screams of passengers in the seconds after.
Screams and cries of fellow passengers, including children, could be heard throughout the smoke-filled cabin of the Mexico City bound plane.
All 99 passengers and four crew miraculously survived the blazing plane, which has been dubbed the ‘Miracle of Durango’
Two people screamed ‘open the door’ in Spanish while everyone tried to pry open the exit as the plane caught fire.
The four cabin crew members assigned to Flight AM2431 were commended for their heroism and lauded for the swift and quick action they took in assisting 99 passengers to safety.
The crash injured 18 people, including two critically – flight captain Carlos Galvan Meyran and a young girl, who suffered first and second degree burns.
Plane ploughs into Pacific Ocean 400ft from runway
In 2018, a Boeing 737 passenger jet ploughed into the Pacific Ocean 443ft from the runway in Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, seconds after its frantic pilot screamed ‘we’re too low!’.
The Air Niugini jet missed the runway and crashed into the water off the tiny island of Weno in Micronesia on 28 September.
Terrified passengers told how they saw a hole in the plane after the crash landing, with water gushing in and swelling at their feet.
American Bill Jaynes, who was on board the plane, said the flight attendants were ‘panicked’ and started yelling at the passengers as water began rising quickly to their waists.
One male passenger died and another nine were injured in the crash in which 34 passengers and 12 crew members scrambled to safety with the help of locals who rushed out on their small boats.
Without hesitation, the men and women who witnessed the horror crash from Weno rowed out in a flotilla of small fishing boats towards the plane to rescue passengers in 2018
An Air Niugini plane has crash-landed in the ocean after it undershot a Micronesian runway
This graph shows the Boeing 737-800’s rapid descent and how the pilots ignored the on-board computer’s alarms and lights going off in their cockpit before they ditched 400ft shy of the runway on Weno island
One man died and nine other passengers were injured when an Air Niugini Boeing 737-800 sank in a Pacific lagoon last year
Without hesitation, the men and women who witnessed the horror crash from Weno rowed out in a flotilla of small fishing boats towards the plane.
The heroic locals pulled people from the jet as it sank into the ocean, saving the lives of scores of passengers who may have otherwise drowned.
Some of the passengers had already begun to swim for their lives while others were standing on the wings of the rapidly-sinking ship when the locals arrived in their boats.
Terrifying cockpit footage later emerged of the moment the plane slammed into the Pacific Ocean as the frantic pilot screamed ‘we’re too low’.
The shocking video showed how the pilots were unable to see anything – not least the runway – as alarms blared in the background with warnings of low altitude.
The video emerged yesterday during an air crash investigation after the Air Niugini jet ditched 400ft from a runway in Micronesia last September
The business class interior of the sunken jet after divers boarded the aircraft during their investigation
The broken fuselage of the Boeing 737 on the seabed in the Chuuk Lagoon
One passenger died and another nine were injured in the crash in which 34 passengers managed to scramble to safety from the Chuuk Lagoon off Weno island in Micronesia
Moments before the footage cuts out, the co-pilot shrieks at the captain, ‘Too low! We’re too low!
We’re too low!’
A Papua New Guinea Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) report into the September 28 crash found the captain and co-pilot ignored numerous automated warnings while approaching the runway.
It said the pair missed ‘pull up’ warning lights and continued the landing attempt at Chuuk International Airport, even after bad weather made them lose sight of the runway.
Russian jet crash lands in cornfield near Moscow
In 2019, a Russian pilot was hailed a hero after he managed to crash land a flaming jet carrying 233 people in a cornfield after birds were sucked into both engines.
Ural Airlines Flight U1678 was taking off from Moscow[10]‘s Zhukovsky airport at 6.10am local time on 15 August bound for Simferopol, Crimea, when it it struck a flock of birds – causing one engine to burst into flames and the other to stop working.
Captain Damir Yusupov radioed the airport asking to make an emergency landing but he was forced to crash land in a cornfield a mile away after realising he wasn’t going to make it back.
Extraordinarily, all 226 passengers and seven crew on board survived the bellyflop landing without engine power or wheels lowered. Only 23 people required medical treatment for minor injuries.
A view shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow Region, Russia, in August 2019
Ural Airlines Flight U1678 was taking off from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport for Simferopol, in Crimea, in 2019 when it hit the birds during takeoff. The pilot began to climb before the engines failed, tried to circle back around to the airport but had to land in a nearby field after losing power
A Russian Ural Airlines’ A321 plane is seen after an emergency landing in a cornfield near Ramenskoye, outside Moscow, Russia, on August 16, 2019
A Russian Ural Airlines’ A321 plane is seen after an emergency landing in a cornfield near Ramenskoye, outside Moscow, Russia, on August 16, 2019
Passengers by an Airbus A321 plane of the Ural Airlines that has made a hard landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport due to an engine fire in 2019
Firefighters spray foam on the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky in 2019
Captain Damir Yusupov (pictured after the crash) radioed the airport asking to make an emergency landing but he was forced to crash land in a cornfield a mile away after realising he wasn’t going to make it back
Dramatic footage filmed by a terrified passenger shows a flock of birds being sucked into the jet’s engines as soon as it took off from Zhukovsky airport – before the plane’s were heard struggling.
Other extraordinary video filmed by another passengers shows the plane quickly losing power and getting closer and closer to the fields below.
Suddenly, the plane hits the ground with a huge thud, thrusting the screaming passengers forward in their seats as they cried and shouted in horror.
But miraculously, all survived after Yusupov used the corn field as a brake, despite the terrifying risk of the aircraft’s fuel tanks bursting into flames.
After the evacuation, passengers rushed to embrace and thank Yusupov and his flight attendants who helped them exit the stricken Airbus.
A still image, taken from a drone video footage, shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport
A view shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow Region, Russia, in August 2019
A still image, taken from a drone video footage, shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport
Yusupov and his co-pilot Georgy Murzinw were awarded the Kremlin’s top honour – the Hero of Russia medal – by President Vladimir Putin for safely landing the plane.
Following the miraculous escape, Yusupov told reporters at the time: ‘I didn’t feel any fear. I saw a cornfield ahead and hoped to make a reasonably soft landing.
‘I tried to lower vertical speed to make the plane land as smoothly as possible and glide softly.’
Miracle escape for 101 passengers on Lion Air jet in Bali
More than 100 passengers had a miracle escape in 2013 after their plane crashed into the sea as it attempted to land in Bali.
Passengers fearing for their lives screamed in panic as the Lion Air jet fell short of the runway at Ngurah Rai Airport, near Denparsar.
The aircraft, carrying 101 passengers and seven crew members, smashed into the sea, with water quickly filling the plane.
Terrified passengers fled the stricken plane, with many waiting on its wings as rescuers launched a dramatic rescue effort.
Terrified passengers fled the stricken plane, with many waiting on its wings as rescuers launched a dramatic rescue effort
More than 100 passengers had a miracle escape in 2013 after their plane crashed into the sea as it attempted to land in Bali
Passengers fearing for their lives screamed in panic as the Lion Air jet fell short of the runway at Ngurah Rai Airport, near Denparsar
Indonesian rescue workers help remove a section of a Lion Air Boeing 737 from the sea four days after it crashed while trying to land at Bali’s international airport near Denpasar in 2013
Dewi, a passenger who sustained head wounds in the crash, relived the horrific moment the plane crashed into the water: ‘The aircraft was in landing position when suddenly I saw it getting closer to the sea, and finally it hit the water.
‘All of the passengers were screaming in panic in fear they would drown.
I left behind my belongings and went to an emergency door. I got out of the plane and swam before rescuers jumped in to help me.’
Many of the passengers escaped through emergency doors which opened half way along the fuselage and made their way to the shore in inflatable yellow dinghies.
Several passengers were injured in the crash but there were no fatalities in the crash at Ngurah Rai airport, which is known for its runway that extends out into the ocean.
Plane from Paris overshoots runway and lands in ravine before erupting in flames
On August 2, 2005, an Air France Airbus A340 arriving from Paris overshot the runway and landed in a ravine just outside Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport.
All 297 passengers including seven Britons and 12 crew members miraculously escaped death by jumping to safety just seconds before fire engulfed the plane.
The evacuation of the flight took under two minutes, with around 40 people suffering only minor injuries.
Officials praised the crew for the speedy evacuation, with the co-pilot singled out for checking the plane before exiting last and advising rescue crews.
Passengers spoke of darkness and panic as the plane skidded along the runway before bursting into flames.
On August 2, 2005, an Air France Airbus A340 arriving from Paris overshot the runway and landed in a ravine just outside Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport
Crash investigators examine the wreckage of Air France flight 358 at Pearson Airport in Toronto in August 2005
Crash investigators examine the wreckage of Air France flight 358 at Pearson Airport in Toronto in August 2005
‘It was a hell of a roller coaster going into the ravine.
The people around me, everyone was running like crazy just in case there was an explosion,’ passenger Roel Brammer said at the time.
‘I was at the very back of the plane and saw that there was a fire outside. I was the second person off the plane. Down the chute.’
Passenger Gwen Dunlop, returning to Canada from a holiday in France, said: ‘It happened so quickly – it was a little bit like being in a movie.
‘At some point the wing was off.
The oxygen masks never came down. The plane was filling up with smoke.’
She said one of the flight attendants tried to calm passengers and tell them that everything was OK.
‘And yet the plane was on fire and smoke was pouring in,’ Gwen said.
Dazed survivors made their way to 401 highway, the busiest freeway in Canada, which is a multi-lane road that adjoins Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
They then flagged down commuters who had slowed down as flames and thick black smoke billowed from the wrecked plane.
Plane struck by lightning before crash landing and breaking into three
In 2010, a Boeing 737 passenger jet was struck with lightning before crash landing and breaking into three pieces.
The plane, carrying 121 passengers and six crew members, was about 260 feet from the runway on the Colombian island of San Andres when it was hit by lightning during a thunderstorm.
The strike caused the plane to hit the ground 260ft short of the runway and spin out of control, buckling and breaking apart as it slid along its body.
Eyewitnesses said some screaming passengers were ‘scattered’ across the runway as the aircraft cracked apart.
After the three pieces of the plane finally came to rest at one end of the runway, the remaining passengers and crew scrambled to safety.
In 2010, a Boeing 737 passenger jet was struck with lightning before crash landing and breaking into three pieces
The plane, carrying 121 passengers and six crew members, was about 260 feet from the runway on the Colombian island of San Andres when it was hit by lightning during a thunderstorm
The strike caused the plane to hit the ground 260ft short of the runway and spin out of control, buckling and breaking apart as it slid along its body
Eyewitnesses said some screaming passengers were ‘scattered’ across the runway as the aircraft cracked apart
‘When we fell, we wound up on the pavement still in the seats,’ Ricardo Ramirez, a civil engineer on board the plane, said at the time. He said he struggled to free himself and his wife from their seat belts.
‘We tried to get out of the plane because it started to shoot flames.
In a few minutes, a police patrol arrived and helped us,’ Ramirez said, describing it as a ‘miracle of god’ that they survived.
Firemen quickly doused a fire on a wing as a fleet of ambulances ferried the injured to hospital.
Extraordinarily, only two people died in the devastating crash which saw the plane break into three pieces. A 68-year-old woman suffered a heart attack and died on the hospital while an 11-year-old girl died in intensive care after suffering brain damage.
Colombian Air Force colonel David Barrero, said at the time: ‘The skill of the pilot kept the plane from colliding with the airport.’
Miracle escape for 240 passengers on plane from Cardiff after crash landing
More than 200 British holidaymakers escaped with their lives after their plane’s fuselage was ripped apart in a crash-landing in Spain in 1999.
The Britannia Airways Boeing 757 from Cardiff to Gerona slammed down into the runway during a storm at the Spanish destination on September 14, 1999.
Passengers described how the plane skimmed along the runway like a ‘pebble across a lake’ before being torn apart and eventually coming to a halt in a muddy field.
Miraculously, none of the 245 passengers and crew onboard were killed in the crash.
More than 200 British holidaymakers escaped with their lives after their plane’s fuselage was ripped apart in a crash-landing in Spain in 1999
Passengers described how the plane skimmed along the runway like a ‘pebble across a lake’ before being torn apart and eventually coming to a halt in a muddy field
Retired steel worker David Dennis, 72, from Swansea, told the BBC at the time: ‘It was amazing that no one was killed. How we all got out was a miracle.’
‘The monitor showed us at 4,000 feet, then 3,000 and then 2,000.
Then suddenly we shot back up to 5,000ft.
‘Then the pilot had another go. We touched down but then it was like someone throwing a pebble across a lake. We just skimmed along the runway.’
Brian Perry, 59, a retired steel worker, from Caerphilly, said at the time: ‘We ran as fast as we could away from the plane.
There was a smell of fuel, but no fire.
‘We are all talking about how good it feels to be alive.
How nobody got killed I just don’t know.’
References
- ^ Rachael Bunyan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Japan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ North Carolina (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Tom Hanks (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Poland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ New Jersey (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Dubai (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ camera (twitter.com)
- ^ Mexico (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Moscow (www.dailymail.co.uk)