Ms Rotterdam in the Norwegian fjords.
How to survive a plane crash
Tonight’s Channel 4’s Plane Crash documentary prompts us to explore some of the common fears and myths surrounding the safety of air travel.
Rex Features
Even if you aren’t the type of masochist who watches crazy plane crash programs, at some point the idea of a crash has crossed your mind. But panic not, we have a soothing (and helpful) guide to navigate you through any worries or fears of flying. From telling you about the safest seat, to what actual causes a crash, you’ll have all the facts to hand.
How safe is flying?
Flying is by far the safest form of travel. The most recent statistics show that when you board a flight there is around a 1 in 10 million chance that your plane will be involved in a fatal accident (where at least one person dies). It is far more likely that you will be involved in a serious accident as you drive or take a taxi to the airport.
Are some airlines safer than others?
Without a doubt some airlines have better safety records than others and your odds of being in a crash depend a lot on who you fly with. As Stuart Lodge from Round the World Flights explains: "When your time’s up, it's up; but slipping off this mortal coil due to the fact you avoided reason whilst booking your trip, and chose an airline that has been banned in the EU because of safety, does seem rather short-sighted, to say the least.” The latest list of naughty airlines is here.
What causes most air crashes?
Air crashes are occasionally caused by bad weather, mechanical problems or hijacking, but one is far more likely than the rest: 50% of all air accidents are caused by pilot error.
Thankfully a rigorous training process means that there aren’t many situations that a professional pilot will face in the air that he hasn’t safely negotiated in a simulator.
Getty Images
When is a plane most likely to crash?
The majority of crashes happen at take-off, during the initial climb, on the final approach or on landing. It’s no coincidence that these are the times we are asked to keep our seatbelts fastened and stow away our heavy items.
If you’re sitting in an aisle seat consider storing your laptop or camera bags under the seat in front and not in the overhead bin. In the event of a rough landing, the bins can burst open and if you’re sitting directly below it’ll be your head that gets whacked.
What if I’m on that 1 in 10 million flight?
If you’re unlucky enough to be on a plane that crashes there’s still a chance you’ll make it out alive. In all air accidents involving at least one fatality in the last 30 years, around one in three passengers have survived.
Where should I sit to give myself the best chance of survival?
Airline manufacturers officially tell us that all seats are equally safe, but others disagree and statistics suggest that sitting towards the back of the plane may be safer in a crash. It stands to reason that you want to be furthest from the point of impact and planes rarely reverse into a mountain.
Alex, who has flown on many high-risk military flights into Afghanistan suggests another approach: “The best place to sit is near the black box; they always find them quickly.” Most flights have two black boxes (which are bright orange), but trying to ask the check-in staff about their location might prove difficult.
Won’t I be alright if I just adopt the brace position?
While the safety demonstrations show us how to adopt the brace position most experts agree that it’s unlikely to make any difference to your chances of survival.
What should I wear?
Loose cotton clothing, as well as being more comfortable in most situations, will protect you in the event of a fire. Nylon and synthetics should be avoided as they will melt quickly in the heat of a fire.
What about lifejackets – do they actually make a difference?
When used correctly, lifejackets definitely help survivors keep afloat until rescue services arrive. Be warned though; you should never inflate your lifejacket until you leave the aircraft. If you are wearing an inflated lifejacket when the aircraft fills with water you will bob up and down like a cork, unable to swim through the submerged exit doors.
For reassurance look no further than frequent flyer and multiple top-tier airline loyalty card holder Gary Arndt. He tells us: “There are almost 100,000 commercial flights per day. The odds of something happening are literally less than 1 in a million. Just knowing that is the most important thing.”
Have a safe flight!
Sources:
popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/4219452
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_accidents_and_incidents#Statistics
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67Comments
11/10/2012 23:45
12/10/2012 06:07
12/10/2012 09:30
11/10/2012 21:40
No amount of safety record will convince phobias like me. I have refused to leave this country for a long while due to fear of flying. Especially when climbing/take off; or flying through those turbulent weathers. My wife has gone as far as suggesting I may have died in a plane crash in my past life?! Who knows.
The fact is pple like me will take some convincing to believe anything here.I down as much sleeping tabletss on the odd chance of flying out and wish the plane will just take off and land without that climb where I lose sight of ground and no longer grounded. I lose contact with earth and its a traumatising feeling. I just want to fall into deep sleep and never be woken by those attendants until arrival.
12/10/2012 04:52
12/10/2012 07:27
12/10/2012 00:08
Unfortunately the link given in this article does not work. It's the same link as given by the Dept of Transport (DOT) and it doesn't work either. Rather obvious that nobody at MSN or DOT has tried it recently. The Aircraft Crashes Recod Office (ACRO) has all the details you will ever need and their web site is here: http://www.baaa-acro.com/ they also have a statistics section which is here: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Statistics.html Now then, that's all you need to know, right back to the Wright Bros, who managed to kill the passenger! (Listed as 1/2 meaning 1 of 2 people on board died. I warn you though; if you visit this web site you will be on it for ages, it's so full of stats and info. Enjoy!
12/10/2012 00:49
11/10/2012 23:03
I love flying and have flown a lot so its almost second nature to me but I do sympathise with those of you who are afraid of flying (or indeed crashing).
My advice is simple, get on a plane, conquer your fear and enjoy this amazing form of travel.
I hate boats (I am a strong swimmer) but the thought of sinking on a boat and drowning fills me with the heebie-jeebies but I have confronted this fear, been on several boats (including cross-channel ferries) and even though I still would rather fly, I wouldnt rule out sailing.
Its all about your mental attitude, dont live in fear....or you really wont live at all.
11/10/2012 21:51
There are several myths being perpetuated here. The 'brace' position is not to increase your chances of survival; it is to keep your head attached to your torso in a catastrophic crash, thus making body retrieval and identification easier. The yellow life jacket is not to help you; it is to make it easier to find the bodies when they are distributed over several square miles i.e. Locherbie. Read the Economist article on Veritas Airline for full information.
11/10/2012 21:40
11/10/2012 22:56
Pat and Mick are on a flight from London back to Paddy land. 10 mins into the flight one of the one of the 3 engines fails.....Captain on intercom suggests that they will now arrive 10 mins late due to lower speed. 5 mins later a second engine fails......Captain now suggests an arrival of 20 mins late. Pat turns to Mick and say's.....fecking hell, to be sure if the last one gives up we will be up here all day !!!!!
11/10/2012 23:23
11/10/2012 21:41
11/10/2012 23:34
the trouble with the seats at the back as i see it, is that in a crash, those pesky engine things tend to go boom and set fire to everything behind them. sit 3 rows or less from an exit, it really is your best chance statistically. also, don't have your legs tucked under the seat, you'll never see them again (its amazing what you can learn from mythbusters!)
11/10/2012 23:04
I always ask for a window seat, either before or aft of the main spar-which is where the wings join to the main fuselage, (surely the strongest bit) I enjoy the 'rush' of takeoffs and the landings and watch the undercarriage retracting or deploying, plus the Flaps-and the Clamshell 'Buckets' for reverse thrust of the Jet engines on landing. Once "In the Climb" there's no takeoff problem or emergency-you'd soon know about That! and in ''Cruise' no problem either; You've got 37-9,000 ft to spare and after all, it's only the last 2" that hurt. So enjoy the Trolley-Dollies and the in-flight meals and films; Sleeeep!
You've got Infinitely far more chance of getting "Dedded" on our Roads.(Pilots don't like dying either,
and after all; THEY are the first people to face it)
12/10/2012 00:06
You want to avoid sitting near the fuel tanks, which are under the wings usually,. But the wings offer extra protection in a crash. So it's a tough one to decide. In the event of a crash, if you don't die from the impact, the resulting fire will probably finish you off. Basically, if your plane goes down and you're still alive - get out of there rapid, you will only have seconds.
15/10/2012 18:11
I think the best way to survive an airplane crash is by, fitting the whole body of the aircraft with a massive parachute, and on extreme emergencies make the wings detachable to lose weights, along with luggage and anything that is not needed. This way the real important cargo lands safely.
12/10/2012 04:03
If only all planes could have sufficient parachutes to keep the plane aloft and 'polystyrofoam' floats stuffed in the hold instead of luggage, 'freight', gold and and guns. Better still, if only they could come up with the technology which defies gravity like all these UFO we hear so much of over the decades, then the shuttle or it's replacement would not need to re-enter the atmosphere at breakneck speed and worry about lost heat resistant tiles and could instead gently race in a more controlled fashion down to Earth and planes would not need control surface shapes like a rudder, ailerons, wings although the early ones might be like a plane but with gravity defying ability, depends on the propulsion and navigational means. Anyway what a hoot that would be just to hang there in the air using almost no power and perhaps only using power when needing to move in any direction. Then no one would ever again feel they are completely relinquishing control of their fete to executives, engineers, mechanics, pilots and banks.
11/10/2012 23:23
Bottom line - your drive, coach ride or train journey (whatever has been posted below trains are not safer than flying and ferries are downright lethal by comparison) to the airport is way more dangerous than the actual flight. In fact travelling on an escalator or climbing stairs in the terminal is more likely to get you hurt.
Chris Chris, I too had a problem with flying and the cure is to learn to fly a light aircraft. The first few hours are pretty terrifying but once you get past that everything slots into place. Even taking a 30 minute trial lesson or just a bit of ground school might help.
I have now flown on some of the most down-market (I'm talking planes repaired with duct tape flying over mountains!) airlines on this planet without problems. By best memory is Aeroflot coming out of Heathrow when the whole galley bulkhead I was seated behind started to move backwards during takeoff.
But I still take sensible precautions. As the article says wear cotton clothing, sit near the rear and try to get an exit seat. If you can't get an exit seat get an aisle seat but check out the size of your fellow passengers because if you have to get out in a hurry you want to be moving in the opposite direction from any 20+ stone lardarses. I just came off a transatlantic flight where one of the female passengers was so fat she had trouble moving along a standard-width BA aisle, how she got the toilet door closed is beyond me.
One tip - If you get an exit seat and any of your fellow passenger(s) in the row clearly does not meet the mandatory physical or age requirements complain, and do it forcibly so the cabin crew moves them. I've never had to do it flying out of the UK but on two occasions in the USA selfish b**stards have lied just to get a bit more legroom. It wasn't picked up at the gate but I had them moved PDQ once on the plane because it was a breach of Federal Law for the airline to fly with them seated there.
The only real safety problem I have now is with a couple of budget airlines (and I think we all know who I mean) who run the seat pitch so tight you won't be able to get out in a hurry. They may have a good safety record now but first time either of them has an emergency it will turn into a disaster. What I have learned is that these airlines are actually no cheaper than the mainstream carriers, they just claim to be. So another safety tip might be to avoid budget carriers.
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