WALKING AWAY from a plane crash may seem unlikely, but experts claim that 95 per cent of them are actually survivable.
This is due to the passengers themselves, and what seats to avoid, and what clothes to wear.
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Plane crash incidents rose last year, despite the pandemic.
According to To70, 299 people were killed in large commercial aircraft crashes in 2020. There were 40 other accidents, five of which were fatal.
Although this might seem alarming, it is actually a very small number of fatal crashes for every 3.7m flights.
These are some ways to increase your chances of survival if you’re ever in a crash.
Dress correctly
What you wear increases your chance of surviving a plane crash, especially if it crashes in harsh conditions or climates.
Dave Inch, a captain of a Boeing 787 said: “Remove everything sharp from your pockets, loosen your belt and remove your tie or scarf and remove high heeled shoes.
Take your glasses off before landing to ensure they don’t fly away and that you can see the way out.
Christine Negroni wrote a book on airline mysteries. She said that everyone is now wearing yoga pants to fly, but that artificial fibres are safer and more likely to catch fire.
“I’d say wear cotton clothes or anything made of natural fibres.”
To protect the feet from debris, flip flops are better than boots, and tighter clothes to prevent getting caught on anything during escape.
Upton Rehnberg was a survivor of the United Airlines flight 222-232 crash in 1989. He stated that he always wears his hooded jumper when flying. This is because a flight engineer told him that passengers are required to keep a blanket on their heads during emergency landings to prevent being burnt by hot or liquid fuel.
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Choose the best seat
While most authorities warn there is no “safe seat, some studies have shown that the back of the plane has the lowest fatality rate.
A 2015 Times study on plane accidents over 35-years found that the lowest fatality rate was in the middle, at 39%, followed by the front, at 38%, and the back, at 22%, respectively.
Avoid the aisle seats. The middle seat is the most likely to survive.
TheAviation Safety Networkalso analysed 65 plane crashes and found seats in the back to be safest in over half of the incidents, based on survival rates.
Harro Ranter chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network, previously told theExpress: “I cannot think of anything that would make sitting upfront safer [and] in an actual accident, best chances of survival are usually in the rear.”
Sitting within five rows of the emergency exit is also advised – Professor Ed Galea from the University Of Greenwich came up the “Five Row Rule” after studying the facts from 105 plane crashes and speaking to more than 2,000 passengers who survived.
On average, he discovered that those who survived moved five rows before they reached the exit as being further away means “the chances of perishing far outweigh those of surviving”.
Use the brace position
Despite myths over the years claiming that the brace position doesn’t improve your chances of surviving, experts are quick to debunk this.
According to the Federal Aviation Authority, it is necessary for two reasons. One, to keep your flailing down to a minimum and potentially injuring you, and second, to protect your head from injury from the seat or over head lockers.
The brace position is often incorrectly done by passengers, according to flight attendants.
One advised: “In the event of a situation where passengers have to cover their heads, you do not ‘lock’ your fingers on your head but place one hand on top of the other.
“If something falls on your hand/head, you’ll still have one good hand to use.”
A second person added on the online forum: “I’d take that a step further and say to put your non-dominant hand on top. That way, your most useful hand will be the one that survives.”
Listen to the safety briefing
While it can be boring to hear the same briefing every time you fly, ignoring it could lead to fatal repercussions.
Only 10 of the 150 passengers were able to grab their life jackets and evacuate in the famous plane crash that occurred on the Hudson River in 2009.
Josh Peltz, a passenger on that flight, said that knowing the safety procedures helped him to quickly help others escape.
He toldthe Guardian: “At about 300ft, I started reading the [safety] instructions. There were six steps, and I read them two or three times, testing myself on each step and trying to envision myself opening the door.”
After the plane crashed, he explained: “Someone next to me was trying to pull the door in and I said, ‘No, it’s got to go out.’
“Fortunately, I had just read that. “I knew that people would rush to the emergency exit so if it jammed, there would have been an uproar.
After the plane crashed into the water, the Ethiopian Airlines flight was a disaster. 125 people died, including 175 of the crew. They also inflated their jackets in the cabin, which made them drown from the rising waters.
Keep your luggage near you
Putting your hand luggage by your feet could also help you survive a plane crash, not just by protecting your shins in an accident.
Erwin Tumiri was one of six survivors of the 2016 LaMia Flight 2933 crash in Colombian mountains. He explained how he managed to get into the foetus position with his luggage between his legs and saved his life.
He toldFox Sports Argentinaat the time: “I put the bags in between my legs to form the foetal position that is recommended in accidents.”
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