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The recent runway collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport involving a Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 has placed a spotlight on the resilience of modern carbon-composite aircraft (Airbus A350, Boeing 787, 777-8 and 777-9) in catastrophic fire scenarios. This incident, which marks the first major destruction of a lightweight airliner by fire, is being closely observed as a critical test case for the new generation of high-tech composite airplanes.
The JAL Airbus A350-900, colliding with a De Havilland Dash-8 coast guard turboprop plane, burst into flames shortly after landing. Despite the severe circumstances, all 379 people aboard the A350 were successfully evacuated, though tragically, five out of the six coast guard crew members perished.
The aviation industry is now keenly focused on how these advanced composite airliners, which have revolutionized long-haul flights and airline economics over the past decade, withstand catastrophic fires. Investigators are currently probing the cause of the collision, with the aviation community awaiting insights into the survivability and durability of these high-tech planes in extreme conditions. //
Composite airframes, as explained by Bjorn Fehrm, a composites expert at Leeham News, offer several advantages over traditional aluminum planes. For instance, carbon fiber can withstand significantly higher temperatures, smoldering and burning away rather than melting. Airbus has previously indicated that the A350 demonstrates “an equivalent level of safety” compared to aluminum planes, showing “increased resistance” to fire penetration.
However, prolonged exposure to intense heat can compromise the structural integrity of composite airframes, even if the outer skin appears unscathed. The lengthy duration of the JAL A350 fire, lasting over six hours, raises questions about whether special firefighting techniques are required for composite jets.