How to survive a plane crash: 5 important facts

Many people believe that a plane crash leaves little to no chance of survival. Therefore, they do not consider it necessary to carefully study the safety instructions. Although, for example, the South Korean airline Asiana Airlines proves: if the rules of evacuation are observed, the number of victims can be significantly reduced. In an accident at San Francisco International Airport, 305 of the 307 people on board were saved!

We have already discussed how you can increase your chances of surviving an airplane crash. But for those who are especially fearful of flying, here are a few more rules, following which, you can more likely survive in a plane crash.

1. Consider a travel suit

When going on a trip, choose clothes so that it is most comfortable for you in case of an emergency. Here's what Cynthia Corbett of the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advises:

Imagine running out of a burning plane. For example, do not wear high-heeled shoes or light slippers - they are uncomfortable to run in. It is important that during emergency situations the shoes do not fall off your feet, and the exposed surfaces of the body are protected by a dense fabric, like denim.

Long sleeves and trousers can protect against shrapnel and burns: according to experts from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 68% of casualties are caused by fires that occur after accidents.

2. Choose a seat in the cabin when buying a ticket

According to Popular Mechanics magazine, the safest seats are in the rear of the cabin. After analyzing the fatal plane crashes that have occurred over the past 40 years, experts cite the following statistics: on average, those sitting in the back of the cabin are 40% more likely to survive. Also try to stay close to the emergency exit and closer to the aisle.

A fire safety professor at the University of Greenwich in England found that surviving passengers usually sit within five rows of emergency exits:

During an emergency, it is better to sit than at the window or in the middle.

3. Takeoff and landing

Experts say that the most dangerous time is the first three minutes after take-off and eight minutes before landing: force majeure occurs more often at these stages of the flight - at this time it is better not to take off your shoes and not to lose sight of the two nearest emergency exits. Place your carry-on baggage under the seat of the passenger in front - it will help to avoid injuries, as it will not allow you to slip under the seat in front, because leg fractures are quite common among victims of plane crashes.

If a crash or an emergency landing cannot be avoided, be calm and don't panic. Take the so-called "survival pose": cross your palms, put them on the back of the seat in front, then press your forehead against your palms - this way you are more likely to survive in an accident, if there is no seat in front, lean forward and hug your knees with your hands.

Also, remove any sharp or angular objects such as pens and keys from your pockets: in an emergency, even a regular hairbrush can be harmful.

4. Rule of 90 seconds

Remember, if after a plane crash you can leave the cabin within 90 seconds, the chances of escape increase significantly: some passengers in a state of panic are not even able to unfasten their seat belt - their bodies are then found sitting in their seats.

In Cynthia Corbett said:

It is important to know how to behave in emergency conditions, even if there are no instructions from the crew: it sometimes happens that people just sit and wait to be told what to do, and in the meantime the situation gets worse.

In the accident with Flight 217, most of the victims were avoided, because the victims were able to quickly evacuate from the aircraft., a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and head of the MIT university, said:

If someone hesitated, things could be much worse.

And Corbett adds:

Do not try to track down and collect your luggage, it can take valuable time.

5. No more dangerous than an escalator in the subway

Transport safety experts are encouraging: according to statistics (author's note: National Transportation Safety Board), only one in 1.2 million commercial flights has an accident. Aircraft crews are carefully working out measures to prevent various emergency situations, new safe non-toxic materials and more advanced fire-fighting systems of winged vehicles are being created.

The chance of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 11,000,000, while, for example, in a car crash it is 1 in 5,000, so now it is much safer for a person to fly than to drive a car.

John Hansman states:

While on board an airliner, you risk no more than going down the subway on an escalator.

Cynthia Corbett of the US Federal Aviation Administration sums it up:

I believe that air travel is the safest way to get around. But during the flight, we must not forget about safety and rules of conduct on board. Don't be afraid to fly, just follow the instructions carefully.