It’s Friday, so let’s talk about something light…like surviving a plane crash! I’ll be honest, I’m one of those people who fly so often that I rarely give my full attention to the flight attendants as they give the safety speech before take-off. I jokingly told this to one of my flight attendant friends and she said “We make mental notes about who did and did not listen, and you would be the last person we helped.” Ouch!
What assumptions do you have about the possibility of a plane crash?
- The odds are I’ll never be in a plane crash. (That may be true, but why not be prepared?)
- I’m sure I could figure out how to use the oxygen mask in an emergency, so I don’t need to listen to the instructions. (In a crisis, we are often unable to recall basic instructions)
- If the plane crashed it’s unlikely I would survive anyway. (The FAA reports that 76% of people survive major plane crashes)
- I’m flying across landlocked states, so I tune out during the water evacuation procedures. (Does anyone remember the Miracle on the Hudson?)
These are all very risky assumptions, so let’s talk about real worst-case-scenario strategic planning for a plane crash.
- Think about your footwear. First, skip the super cute Naughty Monkey stilettos or flip-flops and opt for comfortable lace-up shoes. In the event of a crash, you’ll want to be able to run away from the plane as fast as possible. Also, if you wear heels you will have to remove them before using the emergency slide anyway. Heels will puncture the slide, so you will waste time getting to safety as you take them off. Finally, never take your shoes off during the flight. Not only do people not deserve to smell your stinky feet, but if there is turbulence, your shoes could be tossed around the plane. Without shoes, you are more likely to suffer injuries while running away from the plane by stepping on glass, debris, or burning fuel.
- Keep your pockets empty. A pen, keys, or any sharp object can cause injury on impact in a plane crash. However, I leave my cell phone and wallet in my pockets so that I wouldn’t have to leave them behind or fumble for them before exiting the plane.
- Never take off your seat belt. You never know when sudden turbulence will hit.
- Sit in an aisle seat within 5 rows of the emergency exit. If you sit by the window, you will have to wait for the people sitting next to you to exit first. The closer you are to an emergency exit door, the faster you will exit the aircraft and the less likely you are to being trampled in a stampede of people rushing for the exit.
- Ladies- do not wear nylon stockings. They are extremely flammable. In fact, you should wear comfortable clothing so you will be agile in the event that you need to climb over seats to find an exit, but do not wear loose clothing that could snag or get caught on anything.
- The safest part of the plane is the rear. People sitting in the last few rows have a 40% higher chance of surviving a plane crash than those in the first few rows.
- If it’s clear that you will make a water landing, put your life vest on before the crash, but do not inflate it. If the cabin begins to fill with water quickly, you may not be strong enough to swim beneath the surface to exit the plane with an inflated vest. Wait until you’ve exited the plane to engage the life vest.
- If the cabin is filled with smoke, your natural reaction might be to get low to the ground where the freshest air is, however that is a dangerous place if people begin stepping over you. You could easily be trampled as people scramble for an exit. Instead dump your water bottle or beverage onto a cloth and hold it to your face. Breathing through a moist fabric will minimize your smoke inhalation.
- Don’t drink alcohol and don’t fall asleep. You want to stay alert and ready for a quick response. Also avoid wearing an eye mask or headphones.
- Once you’ve exited the plane, get as far away from it as possible and wait for the rescue teams to arrive. You want to put enough distance between you and the plane so that you are not impacted by the smoke or the possibility of an explosion. Oh, and stay away from the engine (see link).
- As you are bracing from impact, find something soft (like a blanket or pillow) to position between your head and the seat in front of you. Lean forward into that seat so your body has less distance to move upon impact. Also, place your feet as far back behind you as possible. If your feet are stretched forward under the seat in front of you, it’s highly likely you will break your legs as the impact shoves your body forward. For extra security, place your carry-on under the seat in front of you so that there is less room for your feet to move.
- Think positively and remain calm. The first 90 seconds are crucial in a plane crash. If you stay focused, remember your emergency preparations and don’t let negative emotions take over, you can survive a crash.
- When you board the plane, memorize how many rows there are between you and the TWO closest exits. In a plane crash, you may not be able to reach the closest exit, and smoke may reduce your visibility to find the next closest exit. Be prepared to feel your way to the alternate exit.
- If you experience a water landing, remove all non-essential clothing and shoes. Those will only weigh you down as you try to swim away from the wreckage.
- Leave everything behind. You may love your iPad, Kindle, and laptop, but any baggage you try to carry will only slow you down. The only exception to this rule is a coat. If it is cold outside and your coat is handy, take that with you as you exit the plane.
Finally, if you’re a LOST fan like me, you size everyone up as they board the plane to predict who would be the Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, etc in the bunch. Make friends with the Jack and Hurley first.
In all seriousness, planning ahead and thinking critically can be the difference between life and death.
Were any of the tips in this post new to you? Do you have any additional plane crash survival tips to share?
Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens. She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training. She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting. She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.
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OK, so in your previous post, you said the odds of being involved in a fatal plane crash are 1 in 9.2 million. That’s amazing – and if it is true, what this tells us is that plane travel is very, very safe overall. Great news! You are far more likely to be struck by lightening.
If is extremely unlikely that you’ll encounter a fatal accident, we can also deduce that it is also very unlikely that you will encounter a near-death experience on a plane. Critical thinking tells us that.
So… taking all your stats from the last post into account, do you seriously, really, recommend I fly with empty pockets, never take off my seat belt, never drink any alcohol, and don’t wear headphones? Come ON!
Do you actually understand what critical thinking is? Critical thinking in this case tells us to weigh the risks (which are remarkably low) versus our on-plane behavior. We need to find some kind of balance, not prepare in all cases for something that is extremely unlikely. If we understand the evacuation procedure, and the overall risks, then I would propose the difference between listening to your iPod, or removing shoes or not is largely irrelevant.
How many people in plane crashes dies only because they were listening to their iPod at the time of the incident?
If the plane is going down, and I have no shoes on or near me, I’ll survive just fine, perhaps with a few cuts, but it is extremely unlikely to happen anyway. But you think I should never remove my shoes during any flight? Not listen to music? Not have a glass of wine and enjoy my meal?
Think critically(!): YES there is a small chance of a big accident. YES, we should be aware of that, and YES we should be aware of what we would do if that situation came about. BUT, the FACT IS that it is highly unlikely to happen, and we can still take our seat belt off when the pilot sees no problems ahead, and we can enjoy the flight with a little music (headphones) and perhaps even a glass of wine and removing shoes a little bit.
Where is the critical part, in your critical thinking. For that matter, where is the thinking part?
“Anon Ymous”-
So, what your saying is that because something is unlikely, you don’t need to prepare, is that correct? Do you believe the flight attendants should stop giving the emergency preparation speech at the beginning of every flight?
The point is that even if something is unlikely, you can still think strategically about what you should do to give yourself the best chance of survival.
Again, I refer you back to the section on assumptions. If you assume it won’t happen then you aren’t thinking critically. If you assume that if the plane crashes then you won’t survive, then you’re also wrong. Approximately 56% of people have survived plane crashes in the past. The point is there are small steps you can take that could make the crash (however unlikely it is) more survivable.
With regard to the shoes, I urge you to do more research. You believe that without shoes you will just experience some “a few cuts.” This is a large misconception. In a plane crash there will not only be significant amounts of sharp edged debris, but it is highly likely that there will be burning jet fuel covering the ground. If you wear leather soled shoes, your shoes are less likely to melt as you run across the flames. The fewer burns you have the more likely you are to survive.
Certainly you can choose not to be prepared for the worst case scenario, but I am simply giving advice if want to be ready for an unlikely, yet survivable event.
Brillant blog, look forward to reading more posts!
its a great post and I agree about what you see . I will back again. thanks
I enjoyed reading this post. good luck.
This is a very interesting post, lets hope i never need to use this info in real.
I see where Anon Ymous is coming from. If one follows some of the tips given, then you’ll never enjoy your flight.
“…..so… taking all your stats from the last post into account, do you seriously, really, recommend I fly with empty pockets, never take off my seat belt, never drink any alcohol, and don’t wear headphones? Come ON!” is rather spot on.
It is not possible for one to be a regular flier and not do one of the above. What if the plane crashes when you are in the loo? what then?
And “don’t fall asleep?” Yeah, if its a two-hour jump. But have you ever tried keeping awake on a long haul flight to Australia?
the writers has presented good advice for surviving a plane crash. and yes, plane crashes are highly unlikely. it’s up to the reader to use their own critical thinking and decide which piece of advice, if any, they will follow. there’s no point in arguing about it.