HOW TO SURVIVE A PLANE CRASH ?
When there is an emergency or an accident, good risk management practices provide some basic strategies to try to reduce the catastrophic consequences of these events and thus also reduce the number of victims. One of the most effective strategies is to first remove as many people from exposure to danger and then provide a means of permanent abandonment of this scenario where the crash is happening. This is done by directing people to another scene, which has less risk. This is what happens for example when a ship starts to sink and people are directed to small boats to effect the abandonment of a scenario of sinking into a second scenario, which although it is also dangerous, has less risk: survival in sea
In a plane crash and other aviation accidents, this strategy becomes an even greater challenge for the specialists because not always a second scenario will be available. When critical systems of an aircraft suffering an outage that prevents definite minimum operating conditions in flight, there will be no second scenario available. On the other hand, there are many cases where an emergency landing is possible. Also surprising is the amount of aircraft accidents that occur on land. Incidentally, the biggest crash of all time in number of casualties occurred in 1977 in Tenerife, the island of the archipelago of the Canary Islands in Spain. While an aircraft preparing for takeoff, the other taxied across the runway in fog and so both crashed ashore generating a large fire. 583 were killed and dozens injured.
Whenever there is an emergency landing or forced by a fall situation, there are also chances of survival. Some information, good training, preparing adequate technical support of the aircraft and by means of rescue can be the difference between life and death. We list below some basic questions related to the chances of surviving a plane crash.
WHAT IS THE BASIC PROCEDURE FOR ESCAPE AND ABANDONMENT OF COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT?
There are two types of emergencies that can generate evacuation operation of commercial aircraft: emergency prepared; emergency not evident. In the first case the commander determines to carry out an emergency landing and calls on commissioners to prepare the passengers and the cabin for landing. This preparation may include removing watches, rings, earrings to avoid possible injury. Are distributed blankets and pillows to help one reduce the bruises and shock. All loose objects in the cabin should be collected and stored in drawers or placed in a single bathroom that should be locked. Each aircraft door should have a responsable commissioner. After the emergency landing, the commissioner will be positioned to assess whether there is smoke, fire or any prohibitive factor that does not allow the use of the door to the escape operation and abandonment. Verified the availability of the door and if it is confirmed that is not possible to use it, the responsable commissioner shall remain at the door directing passengers to other doors in use.
If the door is operational, the commissioner will open it, drive the slide if it is available, and release the cables that passengers can use to hold and access the slide. Shoes and sharp objects should be discarded to avoid damage to inflatable parts. When leaving, people should move away from of the aircraft in the first moments. In case of a not evident emergency, there is no prior preparation for landing but the commissioners should try to meet the same procedures described for the door control.
If the door is operational, the commissioner will open it, drive the slide if it is available, and release the cables that passengers can use to hold and access the slide. Shoes and sharp objects should be discarded to avoid damage to inflatable parts. When leaving, people should move away from of the aircraft in the first moments. In case of a not evident emergency, there is no prior preparation for landing but the commissioners should try to meet the same procedures described for the door control.
PROCEDURES OF ABANDONMENT SAVES LIVES OR ARE REALLY JUST PROCEDURES REQUIRED BY LAW?
The procedures actually saved many lives in various accidents. Two of the most recent cases were the emergency landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 (2009), when all 155 occupants were saved after a contact of the aircraft with the icy waters of the Hudson River, NY. Another successful case was the forced landing of the Boeing 777 Asiana Airlines Airport in San Francisco, USA (2013) in which almost all of the 307 occupants were able to leave the aircraft before a major fire destroyed it completely.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF COMMISSIONERS IN ESCAPE AND ABANDONMENT OPERATION ?
The commissioners have a vital role to the success of the escape and abandonment operations and also in the post abandonment, which may require survival at sea, in the jungle or in other hard to reach areas. If anyone thinks that the presence of commissioners on flights is just a parade of courtesy, distributing comfort items and food, are very much mistaken. Just note that some flights do not even offer food as a strategy to reducing prices but keeps the commissioners because they are essential for safety. They are trained to only open the doors that can actually save lives, know the equipment, know where the resources are located and know how to use the survival items optimizing their consumption.
IS THERE A SAFER LOCATION OF SEAT TO TRAVEL ON A PLANE ?
Could exist if the passenger had anticipated certainty about all the details of the accident would happen in flight. But if it were possible to know this, obviously the intelligent decision would not fly. If there is an operation of escape and abandonment, being closest to the emergency doors adds advantage for survival because every second can make a difference. One recommendation is adopted by some experts to be seven rows away from the emergency door. Normally aircraft are already constructed in such a way that, when we were more than seven rows away from an emergency door, just look at the other side and realize another door with less than seven rows away. But it is also important to remember that no accident is the same as another, and even the emergency doors can become the cause of accidents in flight. In a scenario like this, the door becomes the danger, may cause sudden depressurization of the cabin and in extreme cases may even eject unbelted passengers from the aircraft. Worse, the seats closest to the door rugged can be plucked and sucked out of the plane, including a passenger, and these kind of accident have been registered in Brazil. More important than the position of the seat, the greatest safety solution means understanding prior the escape and abandonment plan, observe the evolution of unusual events and react promptly seizing the guidelines of the crew.
WHICH EMERGENCY DOORS WORKS BETTER ?
In case of a water landing is most likely that the central portion along the wings become more suitable for the abandonment. At first, people may go out by emergency door on the wings and still have these wings to organise people before jumping into the water. Generally, the aircraft that lands on the water begins to be flooded by the front or the back, so theoretically the flood take longer to reach the central part along the wings. On the other hand if the landing is on the ground or in tree canopy, region along the wings is precisely the one that contains the greatest volume of fuel and are more likely to catch fire. So there is no definitive rule. The most important is to understand the abandonment plan well, and observe the evolution of emergency to act correctly, regardless of what the position of the passenger on the aircraft.
INFRASTRUCTURE OF AIRPORTS CAN HELP ?
When the emergency is prepared, the commander recognizes the need for an emergency landing and it can be done in an airport runway. Besides the preparation of passengers and cabin of the aircraft are started, and the ground teams like firefighters, the support boats, ambulances and other resources, are positioned strategically on track. They are trained for this type of operation. When the commander declares emergency he also begins the preparations of the teams on the track, where the specialized fire trucks at high speed will be ready to follow the aircraft from the first point in the plane touches the runway. If necessary, a layer of special foam is also launched to prevent a fire if the aircraft needs to land "belly". When there are rivers and sea nearby, boats are powered preemptively for a possible rescue.
WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY TO SURVIVE AN AVIATION ACCIDENT ?
Not only in case of crash, but for any case of an accident, which extends over the chances of survival is the degree of awareness and knowledge about the facts that are occurring during the emergency. As in accidents events are fast and astonishing, is not possible for a person to prepare well during the emergency itself. At this time, the more information earlier, more chance to survive. Then, follow the instructions at the beginning of the flight, carefully read the cards for guidance on emergency exits, look for signs of smoke, fire, noise, observe and report any abnormalities to the crew, all of this will help to have a better attitude in time of emergency .
Instructions on how to use the masks in case of decompression, how to use floats and vests, remember that the temperature and smoke are worse in the higher parts of the airplane, to prioritize life rather than insist on carrying objects and bags, all it can be considered lifesaving information and good attitudes . It is also critical to provide a collaborative behavior, because if each passenger think only on themselves, probably the number of fatalities will be higher.
O
sucesso de um empreendimento tecnológico está associado ao respeito aos
fatores humanos, ambientais, econômicos e sociais que estão sob sua
influência. Bons valores estabelecem a boa Cultura de Segurança !
