According to CBS News, the accident occurred when a Japan Airlines plane collided with a smaller coast guard aircraft during landing, and the plane was emitting smoke from its side while continuing down the runway. Japan's Minister of Transport, Tetsuo Saito, stated that the pilot of the coast guard's Bombardier Dash-8 survived, but five of its crew members were killed. Within 20 minutes, all passengers and crew of the passenger jet had slid down the emergency chute to escape from the aircraft.

The video shows passengers walking quickly yet calmly down the inflatable evacuation slide and then running away from the aircraft. “This demonstrates good training,” said Cox, a safety consultant. "And if you watch the video, people are not trying to grab their belongings. They are focusing on getting out of the plane,” he said.

Other passengers told Japan's NHK television that the flight attendants remained calm and instructed everyone to leave their luggage behind, then all the lights went out and the temperature inside the cabin began to rise. Tokyo resident Tsubasa Sawada, 28, told Reuters that there was an explosion on the plane about 10 minutes after the passengers disembarked. “I can only say it was a miracle; we could have died if we were late,” Sawada told Reuters.