How to survive a plane crash

[Mr. Hat]

I found a link to this article on some dective named Kevin Coffey's website about how to survive a plane crash, what im most confused about is #4.


How to Survive an Airplane Crash
According to the statistics, two-thirds of the people involved in air crashes survive. Approximately one-third of the third who do die could have survived if they had known what to do and almost all of these died from smoke or fire. If it seems certain the plane is going to crash, here's what to do while the plane is going down.

1. Put your seat belt on and fasten it as tightly as possible.

2. Check where all the emergency exits are, put them in order of priority and plan your route to each one. Interviews with survivors of air crashes confirm that the common element among the overwhelming majority was that they had a specific plan of action and followed through with it on their own. If you have time, study the emergency safety card; studies have shown that you are three times more likely to be injured during a crash if you haven't read the emergency safety card.

3. Take sharp pencils, pens out of your clothes and remove dentures, high-heeled shoes and eyeglasses.

4. Empty your bladder to reduce the chance of internal injury.

5. If you don't have a personal smoke hood, moisten a handkerchief, headrest cover or shirttail, so if there's smoke after impact, you can hold it over your mouth. If no other liquids are handy, use your urine.

6. If you've got time, pack for outside the plane, such as a sweater or Coat to keep you warm and any medicines you will need.

7. Cover your head, preferably with a pillow. Then either cross your arms over your calves and grab your ankles or put your palms-forward, crossed wrists between your head and the seat in front of you. In the latter position, it's best to slide your feet forward until they touch the seat leg or under-seat baggage in front, so your legs are less likely to snap forward on impact.
If you're still alive after the plane comes to a stop, that's when you should do the one thing which will most likely save your life, and that is, very simply, get out of there as fast as you can.

In crash after crash in which the passengers survive impact, they just sit there, stunned, waiting to be told what to do. Often, the flight attendants, themselves stunned, fail to give directions right away. When the flight attendants finally do start talking, many of the passengers will still sit there as though in a trance. By the time the passengers finally get moving, the plane has filled with smoke, with flames and/or with panic-stricken fellow passengers trampling each other to get out.

So, as soon as the plane comes to a stop, undo your seat belt, leap out of your seat and move quickly to the exit. Don't take anything with you; you'll need your hands free to keep your balance in the aisle as you step over bodies and luggage or find yourself being pushed from behind by panic-stricken passengers. If the aisle is blocked, walk over the backs of the seats. Don't waste your time crawling on the floor to avoid any smoke; you'll only end up being trampled by and/or buried under all the other passengers who are suffocating. But if there is smoke, do keep your head down. You'll know you've arrived at the doors when the floor lights are red rather than white.

Do not push the passengers in front of you. You won't get through any faster and will only increase the chance of your being punched in the face, trapped by squirming bodies in the aisle or, most seriously, stuck behind a blocked door (see below).

When you finally arrive at an exit door, if it's not open, take a quick look out the window to see if there's fire there. If there is, run to the other side of the plane and open the door there.

[ElleJ]

Fuuuuuuuck you and welcome.

If the plane is going down, I'm pretty sure that I would pee my pants regardless of this information.

[rajjy]

Speaking as someone who has a crippling fear of flying, if I was on a plane and it was going to crash, I'd be in too much of a blind panic to remember any of these instructions.

ElleJ's right though.

I'd probably punch someone square in the face if I knew I was about to die.... or something much ruder(!)

[typicallistener]

Originally Posted by ElleJ

If the plane is going down, I'm pretty sure that I would pee my pants regardless of this information.

damn you! i was just gonna post that

[Rhian]

Originally Posted by ElleJ

Fuuuuuuuck you and welcome.

If the plane is going down, I'm pretty sure that I would pee my pants regardless of this information.

Agreed!

I don't think that they would let a line up happen at the bathroom with the "Seatbelt On" light anyway.

[rajjy]

This made me giggle....

Originally Posted by Mr. Hat

5. If you don't have a personal smoke hood, moisten a handkerchief, headrest cover or shirttail, so if there's smoke after impact, you can hold it over your mouth. If no other liquids are handy, use your urine.

Fuck that!! Maybe if a stewardess pissed on a hankercheif I'd hold it over my mouth, but she'd have to be mega-fit.

[jesus]

Originally Posted by ElleJ

If the plane is going down, I'm pretty sure that I would pee my pants regardless of this information.

You should be pretty safe if you jump as it hits the ground.

[rajjy]

Originally Posted by jesus

You should be pretty safe if you jump as it hits the ground.

Worked for the Pink Panther.

[smallnorth]

Originally Posted by rajjy

Speaking as someone who has a crippling fear of flying...

I'm not scared of flying.

Crashing into the ground from 30'000 feet scares the shite out of me though.

[rajjy]

Oh I refuse to get on a plane... ever since I saw Challenger explode on tv.

You may find this disturbing, but I once in a bookshop about 10yrs ago and saw a book that had transcripts from the flight recorder of planes that had crashed!

Wish I'd bought it.