The pilot of the Japan Airlines plane didn't know it was on fire until alerted by cabin crew: report

• The pilot of the crashed Japan Airlines had to be informed the plane was on fire, per a statement.
• The airline told the BBC that cabin crew informed the pilots of the blaze.

The pilot of the crashed Japan Airlines flight was initially unaware that the plane was on fire, and had to be informed of the blaze by cabin crew, according to the BBC.

In a statement to the outlet, an unnamed Japan Airlines spokesperson said of the fire: "the pilots didn't recognize it in the beginning and learned about it [through the] cabin attendant."

The crash between the Airbus A350-900 and a small Japanese Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday has made headlines worldwide.

Five of the six people on the Coast Guard plane were killed — but nobody on the larger plane.

Many details are still emerging, but much initial comment has focused on the fact that all the Japan Airlines passengers and crew were able to escape such a huge fire.

Images and footage of the aircraft show it engulfed in flames, and in the aftermath its fuselage is almost completely reduced to ash.

The airline's statement to the BBC on Wednesday described how the pilot "felt a sudden shock" on landing "and lost control to stay on the runway."

The passenger plane collided with the Coast Guard plane as it landed. The circumstances of how both aircraft ended up on the same runway are still being established, with some accounts appearing to contradict each other.

The statement says that the "first thing" cabin crew did on learning of the fire was to calm the passengers.

Dramatic footage from one apparent passenger, posted on Tuesday, showed smoke filling the cabin. Without the use of a functioning intercom, cabin crew used a megaphone to address passengers, a spokesperson previously said.

A video published by The New York Times showed an attendant at the back of the plane yelling instructions, telling passengers to leave their bags behind.

According to the BBC, the flight had three pilots and 12 attendants.

While smoke started to filter into the plane's interior, the crew shouted instructions: "'Leave your belongings!', 'Take off your high heels,' and 'Head down,'" the spokesperson told the BBC. Only three of the exit doors were usable, The New York Times reported, citing a Japan Airlines spokesperson.

Experts have attributed the seemingly miraculous escape to strong training and modern safety features, as Business Insider's Tom Porter reported. Another contributing factor is that passengers followed cabin crew instructions not to attempt to retrieve their baggage, according to multiple reports.