When I was in the Air Force back in the '06's I was stationed at an Army base for two years (long story there). And while not on flight status, I found my self in the right seat of a U-6A (DeHavillan Beaver) a lot (another long story). Not being on flight status meant no issue flight gear, so I begged, borrowed, and stole what I felt I needed, including survival gear. But the point of this little story is ditching. On my own I read the Army manual on the aircraft, and the part on ditching suggested jettisoning the doors (there were hinge pins you could pull from the inside of the aircraft), slowing to stall speed, and jumping from the aircraft just before it hit the water.

My question is, can the doors of any private aircraft be jettisoned while in flight? And do you pilots think that it would be better to jump, or ride it down and hope that the gear hitting the water doesn't flip the aircraft onto its back, probably knocking everyone on board silly in the process? It has always seemed to me that, at least at night, it might be hard to judge your altitude, and you could easily jump way too high.

Now days, if I ever have to go down in a private aircraft, I want it to be a Beaver flown by Harrison Ford, with all the gear he carried in Six Days, Seven Nights...