Passengers of a Japan Airlines plane that collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday have been describing their dramatic escape.

Many instantly knew something had gone horribly wrong when the plane met the runway at 5:47 P.M.

One passenger says she heard a bang, and noticed a fire. She says she initially thought there had been a bird strike or other incident. But as the flames spread, she knew it was a bigger accident.

She said, "The crew urged travelers to stay calm and kept asking them to sit down and not to take their luggage. But people kept coming forward."

She continued, "The inside of the plane became pitch dark, and the fire kept getting bigger," adding that she thought her life was about to end.

Another passenger says the plane filled with smoke. He says the cabin crew announced that the doors at the center and back could not be opened, so everyone evacuated from the front.

All 379 passengers and crew used three emergency exits. The last person got out at 6:05 P.M.

A woman who took a picture while evacuating said the airplane was still intact when all the passengers got out, but the fuselage collapsed as they boarded a bus.