The Japan Airlines plane that caught fire used carbon-fiber composite materials that are less heat-resistant

• The Airbus A350 that caught fire in Tokyo used carbon-fiber composites that are less heat-resistant than metal.
• The accident on Tuesday is likely to be seen as a test case for the lightweight materials' use in aviation.
• However, the materials "weren't going to change the overall outcome of this," one expert said.

The fuselage and wings of the crashed Japan Airlines Airbus A350 were made using a carbon-composite material that's likely to receive renewed attention in the aftermath of Tuesday's fiery accident.