Originally Posted By: AKSAR
Similarly, in a water ditching many aircraft tend to settle deeper to the rear, making the aft cabin doors unusable for excape.

True. You could see that with the Airbus during the "miracle on the Hudson" water landing in NY.

Actually, I have a vague recollection that one of the rear doors was opened during that incident and shouldn't have been, causing the tail to sink even faster than it otherwise would've.

Or maybe I'm remembering the fact that the pilots did not have time to reach the part of the ditching checklist to activate the switch(es) to close all the exterior openings in preparation for a water landing.