Mistakes and More Tips
Benefits of a plane crash? Many people think they wouldn't
want to live through the trauma of a plane crash. But an interesting study by
Old Dominion University
indicates that plane crash survivors showed significantly less stress,
anger, depression and irritability than regular flyers who have never
crashed. Researchers concluded that living through such a traumatic
event can dwarf life's ordinary worries and stresses [source: Salon]. |
Many people who perish in plane crashes could have avoided it if they had not made some fatal errors. The biggest enemy in a crash scenario is panic. Keeping your wits and maintaining focus will do more to save you than anything else. Panic is the reason that many passengers find themselves unable to do something as simple as releasing their seatbelt. The most frequent use of a safety belt is in your car, with a push-button release. In the heat if the moment, remembering that the plane's belt has a pull-release isn't second nature. For this reason, many crash victims are found still strapped into their seats.
Survival Stories Mercedes Johnson Mercedes Johnson was on a Christmas
flight from Miami to Colombia with her parents in 1995 when the
commercial jetliner she was on crashed into the Andes mountains. The
pilots entered an incorrect set of coordinates for their flight path
and didn’t realize it until the plane's alarm system went off. By that
time it was too late.
Mercedes felt some slight turbulence, then a violent "trembling" over the entire aircraft. The plane went into a nearly vertical ascent in an effort to escape the mountains. She heard a deafening roar and put her head between her legs in an effort to plug her ears, holding her father's hand the entire time. When
Mercedes woke up, she was confused at first, then all too aware of what had
just occurred. She looked down to find her right leg bent underneath her at
an unnatural angle, but felt no pain. She spent 18 hours on the mountain
awaiting rescue and then 10 days in a hospital treating a broken leg, back,
ribs and a host of life-threatening internal injuries. |
Here are a few more tips you should remember if your plane is going down:
- In the event of fire, stay as low as you can and get out as quickly as possible. The smoke and fumes from a burning plane are highly toxic and more likely to kill you than the flames.
- The airline industry refers to the first 90 seconds of a plane crash as "golden time." If you're able to stay calm and move fast within this time frame, you have a good chance at getting out of the plane.
- If you make it out of the plane in one piece, get as far away as possible as quickly as you can and tuck behind something large in case of an explosion.
- Think before you drink. Consuming alcohol will slow your response time and cloud your decision-making.
- No matter what you believe can't be replaced, never attempt to take your carry-on luggage with you during an emergency exit.
- Don't inflate your life vest until you're outside the cabin. It will restrict your movement.
If you'd like to read more about surviving dire circumstances, please look into the links on the following page.
