http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1053663-1,00.html

An interesting article describing the human factors in surviving disasters.

And in a "PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.-friendly" publication too, to boot.

Counting rows, knowing where the exits and stairwells are - all of these are at least as important as any safety measure that can be imposed from above.

"We tend to assume that plane crashes--and most other catastrophes--are binary: you live or you die, and you have very little choice in the matter. But in all serious U.S. plane accidents from 1983 to 2000, just over half the passengers lived..."

Get off the plane, run like hell, and curse Homeland Security that you don't have a knife or a way to make fire.

Sue

Does anyone get gazes from the airplane staff personnel like you've got three heads when asking to be seated as far to the rear as possible?

the tail usually brakes off, i have heard that the best place to sit is between the wings next to a door. It's the strongest structual point of the aircraft, but you'r also sitting between fueltanks....

and next to an escape route. Indeed the tail breaks off. On crash photos you will notice how it is mostly in one piece. When the siht hits the fan ill be right in the back beyond the last chairs - with the stewardess's hehe <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

A friend of mine always opts to sit in the tail if he can. He refers to it as the "escape pod".

Sue

I don't know what the statiscal chances are, if any study has been done...

A friend of mine was in the Air Gabon plane which crashed near the shore last year. He was seated in the front half of the plane ; he survived, with a bunch of others.
But all the people seated in the tail half of the plane died, drowned. (AFAIK)

I guess it depends of the circumstances of the crash (ground/sea, fire/no fire, etc...).

(I'm no expert. The only time I ever crashed when flying, was a 3m drop with my powered hang glider, just before landing ....)

From what I've heard, in the event of a forced landing or impact, the safest place to be is above the wings, since that is the strongest part of the aircraft. Plus at least one set of emergency rows is located near there, so you're within a few rows of the exit.

But if the plane blows up or breaks up in air, sometimes it's best to be in the tail section, which escapes the worst of the disaster. There's usually an emergency exit somewhere in the back too, so you're a couple rows from escape as well.

And if someone tries to hijack the plane (the operative here is "tries"), well God help that poor because he's gonna get his kicked by the passengers...

The same goes to anyone who tries to say Hi to his friend Jack.

My cousin always sits in the back of the plane. Like he says, you never hear of a plane hitting a mountain tail first. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
gino

Excellent article. Thanks for the link.

I have been in only one emergency situation in my life, fortunately, and I can testify that my mind did react in a very strange way.

My father died of a coronary March 13, 1993, during that freak snowstorm. He was 62 and built very strong. Never any indication of trouble. I was shovelling and he came out to help. Shortly afterward, he said he didn't feel well and went inside. My dad ALWAYS felt fine. Never sick. Me, I always have a headache.

Anyway, my mom opened the front door soon afterward and screamed for me. I instinctively knew what happened. And I also developed a split personality.

I ran inside and did what I could, CPR and all that, but it was a lost cause. Part of me knew he was already dead, but you have to try anyway.

And all the while I was there, part of my mind was in full disbelief, saying this couldn't be happening. Time seemed to slow down, almost to a standstill. It was a very spooky feeling. Also, even though I knew I was moving very quickly, it felt like I was stuck in molasses, and moving very slowly.

I have tried very hard to forget that day. It was the worst in my life. But it is seared into my brain.

On the other hand, the happiest day of my life, the day I got married, Dec. 28, 1991, I barely remember. I wasn't in control then, either. I had to dress properly, hit my marks, say my lines, and that was it. But my memories of that are foggy at best.

The human mind and memory is a very strange thing.

-- Craig