How to survive a plane crash on the ground. Survivors of a plane crash. Real stories

Danger: depressurization

Danger: loss of orientation

Danger: business class

Danger: fire

Danger: toilet

Danger: flight attendant with trolley

Danger: engines

Chair position

The safest airlines*

1. Qantas Airways (Australia)

2. Finnair (Finland)

3. Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)

4. El Al (Israel)

5. ANA – All Nippon Airways (Japan)

The only domestic airline in the ranking, Aeroflot, is in 49th place.

1. THY Turkish Airlines (Türkiye)

2. TAM (Brazil)

3. Pakistan Intl Airlines (Pakistan)

4. China Airlines (China)

5. Air India (India)

* According to the German Center for the Analysis of Information on Jet Disasters (JACDEC).

5. Boeing 737 NG

Behind the wings of the Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 there is not a single accident with human casualties in the entire history of the models.

1. Boeing 737 JT8D

5. McDonnell-Douglas DC-9

Ever since man first took to the air, he has known falling. Every year, flight technology became more complex, more advanced and safer, but plane crashes still occur. The mass loss of life when a passenger airliner crashes becomes not only grief for the inconsolable relatives of the victims, but also a national tragedy.

Survivors of a plane crash become celebrities who are talked about and written about by the media in all countries of the world. This happens for the reason that there are very few of them.

Airplane crash statistics

If we take statistics for the entire historical period of development of passenger air transportation, we can conclude that they are extremely rare. The chance that a vehicle will crash during flight, takeoff or landing is 1/8 million. This means that it would take more than 20,000 years of daily travel on random flights for a person to get on that unlucky one.

If we take the statistics of the identified causes of equipment failure, then in percentage terms it will look like this:

• when the plane is loading, 5% of accidents occur (most often fire);
• during takeoff - 17% of accidents;
• when climbing only 8% of cases;
• during the flight 6%;
• when the aircraft descends - 3%;
• approach is responsible for 7% of cases;
• aircraft landing - 51%.

Statistics of all recorded cases of airliner crashes show that the greatest risk is present during takeoff and fall. This is probably why passengers applaud the pilots after they complete this stage of the flight.

Survivors of a plane crash most often indicate that something “suddenly” became wrong with the plane. In fact, meticulous statisticians and workers responsible for flight safety note that the reasons for the sudden breakdown of instruments or burning engines are defects that were not identified on the ground, which means that the reasons for the crash of airliners should first of all be sought there.

Causes of plane crashes

Whatever you say, the main cause of all plane crashes is the human factor. Machines do not damage themselves or disable them. Lack of proper attention during their assembly, during daily checks for malfunctions and conscious work of pilots and dispatchers - all this most often leads to the crash of equipment.

Is it possible to survive a plane crash if the experts did their job poorly? And in this case, the answer will be yes, since today there are cases when more than 1 person remained alive.

The statistics of aircraft crashes in percentage terms are as follows:

• Pilot error is the cause of 50% of cases;
• errors by service personnel during flight were identified in 7% of tragedies;
• the influence of weather conditions accounts for 12%;
• malfunction of instruments and the machine as a whole - 22% (what was not properly identified before the flight);
• terrorism and others (unidentified causes or mid-air collision) - 9%.

Of the listed reasons, except for weather, everything else is human activity. This suggests that the tragedy could have been avoided, and the incidence of survivors of the plane crash was significantly higher. If we take the statistics of the largest crashes over the past 30 years, then their causes are:

• A DC-8 crashed in Newfoundland in 1985 on takeoff due to loss of speed, killing 250 passengers;
• the crash of a Boeing 747 in Japan in 1985 was caused by poor repairs, resulting in 520 casualties;
• Il-76, en route from Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia, crashed in India in 1996 from a mid-air collision with a Boeing, resulting in 349 deaths;
• An Il-76 crashed in Iran in 2003 due to hitting the ground in poor visibility, killing 275 people;
• The 224 people who did not survive the Kogalymavia plane crash in October 2015 added to the sad statistics: the reason was a possible terrorist attack.

These are not all the major crashes that happened from 1985 to 2015, but even from them it is clear that they are most often caused by human carelessness or dishonesty. The list of plane crash survivors would be much longer if flight safety specialists did their jobs well and passengers knew what to do to stay alive.

What to do if a plane crashes

It turns out that there are rules that really help people survive during a plane crash. The most basic instructions are given by flight attendants before the start of the flight. Unfortunately, most passengers do not listen to them, much less be able to put them into practice. Among the simplest recommendations, the following are considered mandatory:

• be buckled up during takeoff and landing (ideally, it’s better to be buckled up for the entire flight);
• know where life jackets are and how to use an oxygen mask;
• in an emergency, do not leave your seat, much less try to get into the luggage compartment to save your belongings;
• concentrate and take the correct position before the plane collides with the ground or water (bend your head to your knees, covering it with your hands).

In addition to these simple rules, there are several conclusions of emergency specialists that people who survived a plane crash applied intuitively and did not suffer.

Most passengers die after the plane crashes and catches fire because they are unable to get out of it in time. To prevent this from happening, you should know in advance:

• how to unfasten seat belts;
• exact direction to the exit (especially if there is smoke in the cabin);
• panic is 100% death.

For example, George Lamson, still a 17-year-old teenager in 1985, survived only because his seat was thrown out of the cabin when the plane he was flying with his father collided with. If the boy had not been fastened and had not pressed his head to his knees, and after the fall had not been able to quickly unfasten and run to a safe distance, he would have died, like the other 70 people.

As the cases of plane crash survivors show, if a person does not panic and knows what to do, then he has every chance of surviving. Studying examples of such tragedies, scientists came to the conclusion that many passengers, instead of getting off the plane, wait for someone's instructions or instructions. It is important to know that in such a situation everyone is responsible for their own safety.

High Risk Situations

Although it may seem that passengers who survive a plane crash are simply lucky, this is actually not the case. As data from scientists from England who studied more than 2,000 cases of rescue from such an accident showed, these people were helped not by a simple coincidence of circumstances, but by specific knowledge and actions, plus a bit of luck.

It turns out that there are high-risk areas and safer areas on airplanes, as evidenced by survival statistics:

• for example, those sitting in the first five rows at the front of the plane have a 65% chance of survival;
• it is even higher among those who sit in these rows on the outer seats (67%) and not near the windows (58%);
• passengers in the rear of the plane have a 53% chance of survival if they are also seated in the first five rows of the emergency exit;
• people who survived a plane crash and sat in the middle of the cabin are extremely rare.

In addition to risk areas in the cabin, the aircraft itself also plays an important role. Thus, statistics claim that 73% of all air crashes occur in small planes with up to 30 seats. The fatality rate of a single-engine or small aircraft crash is 68%, which suggests that the chance of survival for passengers and pilots of such transport is tantamount to a miracle.

There is only one conclusion - you should fly with large planes from reliable companies. It is unlikely that only the correct choice of a vehicle and the seat in it will save lives in an emergency, but its passengers will have a greater chance of survival, and rescuers in the crash of a large airliner do not ask the question “are there any survivors of the plane crash,” but save them.

The most difficult situations

The most difficult and dangerous part of a disaster is when the plane hits land or water. After this happens, people only have 1.5-2 minutes to stay alive. It is at this time that you need to take time to unfasten, find a way out and jump as far as possible.

The biggest threat to life is posed by fire and carbon monoxide filling the cabin, as confirmed by a woman who survived the plane crash. Larisa Savitskaya survived after the plane in which she was flying with her husband collided with a bomber. Having received burns from the fire that started, she managed to concentrate and take the correct position in the chair, which saved her life when she fell on it for 8 minutes from a height of 5200 m.

Her landing was “softened” by tree branches, but even after surviving such a fall, she had to endure a severe shock both from her injuries and from the fact that rescuers were in no hurry to search for the fallen plane, confident that no one had survived.

“Are there any survivors of the plane crash?” - this question should be foremost among those who deal with such situations. Larisa waited two days for help with a fracture of the cervical spine and a head injury. She is the only one who was included in the Guinness book twice for the same event:

• the first time as a survivor after a fall from a height of more than 5 km;
• the second - as having received the most meager compensation for the damage received - only 75 rubles.

An airplane colliding with water poses no less a threat to human life, although most passengers naively believe that it can soften the fall. Such ignorance of the elementary laws of physics has cost the lives of many people.

Falling into the ocean

It's not uncommon for a plane to crash over the ocean, but the number of passengers killed remains shockingly high, although there are survivors of a plane crash on the water.

This happens for several reasons:

• firstly, people often cannot find and put on a life jacket due to panic;
• secondly, they activate it too early, and in an inflated state it prevents not only from moving, but also from floating out of the cabin if water has entered there;
• thirdly, they do not know that an airplane hitting the water is equivalent to a collision with a concrete surface, and they may not be buckled up to take a rescue position.

Except in cases where the pilot makes an emergency landing on water, falling into the ocean is just as dangerous as falling onto the ground, as confirmed by the only girl who survived the plane crash.

Bakari was 12 years old when he and his mother flew from Paris to Yemen. For an unknown reason, the plane crashed into the ocean 14 km from the coast of the Greater Comoros island. The impact with the water tore it into pieces, and the girl fell into the water. She was lucky that parts of the liner remained on her surface, on one of which she waited for 14 hours until she was picked up by a fishing boat passing nearby.

The girl’s story went around the whole world, as this is one of those examples when, perhaps, there would have been more survivors if help had arrived in time. Hypothermia and life jackets not being put on in time claimed the lives of the remaining passengers.

This is not the last time the sole survivor of a plane crash has had to fight for her life due to lack of help on the ground.

Fall in the jungle

Although there are examples when the fall of an airplane was softened by tree branches, the number of surviving passengers and crew members did not increase. How a person behaves during a tragedy still plays a big role.

An example of this is the story of a 17-year-old German schoolgirl traveling with her mother from Lima to Pucallpa (Peru) before Christmas 1971. In fact, it was a short flight that turned tragic when the plane encountered turbulence during a thunderstorm.

A lightning strike damaged the aircraft's systems and started a fire in the cabin. Juliana Koepke is the only passenger to survive the plane crash on this flight. At an altitude of 6400 m, both wings of the aircraft came off, after which the airliner, which went into a tailspin, began to fall apart in parts.

The girl was saved by the fact that she was fastened and took a rescue pose when a row of chairs along with her seat was “thrown” overboard. During the fall, it, along with the debris from the cabin, was rotated by a strong wind, which led to a descent down an inclined slope and a fall into the dense thickets of the Amazon jungle.

The consequences of the “landing” were a broken collarbone, abrasions and bruises, but even greater trials awaited her. Located 500 km from Lima, in the thick of the jungle, not knowing the way, this young plane crash survivor was forced to fight for life in an unfamiliar area.

For 9 whole days she walked down the river, afraid to go far from it, so as not to lose the source of water. Eating fruits and plants that she recognized and could pick, the girl went to the fishermen’s camp, who took her to the hospital.

If Juliana had remained waiting for help near the crashed plane, she most likely would have died. Based on these events, an Italian television company made a feature film “Miracles Still Happen,” which subsequently saved the life of the Soviet girl Larisa Savitskaya, who had been waiting for rescuers for two days.

Surviving crew members

It is quite rare to hear that crew members survived a plane crash. Perhaps they are busy rescuing passengers or are at that moment in the most “unsafe” part of the plane, but this is a fact.

But there are examples when a flight attendant who survived a plane crash was the only one saved. Vesna Vulović was only 22 years old in 1972 when, during a regular flight from Copenhagen to Zagreb, a Yugoslav airline plane disintegrated in the air as a result of a terrorist bomb explosion.

This case can be considered a “miracle”, since Vesna was able to survive being in the middle of the plane cabin when falling from a height of more than 10 km. A piece of the car she was in fell on snow-covered trees, which greatly softened the blow.

The second “miracle” was that while she was unconscious, a peasant from a nearby village found her and took her to the hospital. A flight attendant who survived a plane crash after falling from such a height was in a coma for almost a month, and then struggled for another 16 months to be able to move and live a normal life.

Vesna Vulović became the Guinness World Record holder for the person who jumped without a parachute from a height of 10 kilometers. It is unlikely that there will be a daredevil who, of his own free will, decides to surpass her result.

Russian plane crash in Egypt

One of the most pressing topics in the fall of 2015 was the plane crash in Egypt. Today, “are there survivors” is no longer the most important question in this tragedy. If at first there were rumors that not all of the 224 people died, now this is a sad fact.

Today the public is interested in the cause of the death of the airliner, and guarantees that this will not happen to Russian aircraft again.

Completely different versions of what happened are presented by Russian and foreign media. The airliner, which took off without delay, disappeared from air traffic controllers' radars for unknown reasons 23 minutes after takeoff.

One version of why survivors of the plane crash in Egypt have not been found is the explosion of a bomb on board. The plane was torn apart in the sky, so the passengers had virtually no chance.

Egyptian authorities say the presence of a bomb was not detected in the plane's wreckage. They published these data after experts from the USA, England and Russia came to a different conclusion.

The only reason for the discrepancy between the experts' conclusions is Egypt's reluctance to lose potential customers during the tourist season and to pay compensation to the Kogalymavia company for a plane crash in its airspace. If there were survivors, they would also receive compensation for damage.

It is to be expected what agreement both sides will come to, but looking back at the history of aeronautics, we can say that planes do not just fall apart in the air and do not disappear from radar. There are no final conclusions yet, but the world community understands what caused the plane crash in Egypt today. Are there any survivors? The answer to this question is unequivocal - “no”.

Positive statistics

Knowing the meticulousness of scientists in their desire to calculate and measure everything, there is no doubt that they also studied the question of why people do not survive a plane crash.

The reason is actually the most banal - the same human factor. If we take statistics on changes in the causes of plane crashes since 1908, it will look like this:

• at the dawn of aircraft construction from 1908 to 1929. 50% of crashes were due to technical problems, 30% due to weather conditions, 10% due to fire and 10% due to pilot error;
• by the second half of the 20th century, the air fleet came up with different statistics - 24% are related to technology, 25% are to blame for the weather, pilot error - 37%, fire - 7%, and terrorist attacks account for only 5%;
• in the 21st century, the statistics have completely changed - 45% are caused by the human factor, 13% by the weather, 32% by technical problems, fire - 3%, and terrorist attacks account for 4% of cases.

This is how the causes of air accidents in the air have changed over 100 years. Nevertheless, today this is the safest form of transportation, because crashes occur with a probability of 0.00001%. In addition, facts are increasingly appearing when, when an airplane crashes, not just one person survives, but a significant part of the passengers.

For example, 4 people survived a plane crash that occurred in Japan in 1985. 12 minutes after takeoff, the plane experienced depressurization in the tail section. The pilots managed to keep the car in the air for 32 minutes, after which the board crashed 100 km from the capital of Japan. As survivors said, there could have been more saved, as people asked for help, but by the time the rescuers arrived, who were in no hurry at all, 520 people were dead. They were killed by hypothermia and wounds received during the fall.

Unfortunately, information about those saved does not always correspond to the truth. This was the case when it was reported that 4 people survived a plane crash over Egypt. In this case, one can only sympathize with people who found hope for a miracle, but then lost it again.

There are also examples in Russian aviation history when passengers survived a plane crash. Thus, the people who survived the Kogalymavia plane crash in 2011, when the plane caught fire as it was taxiing to the runway, only three people died out of 116 passengers and 6 crew members, while the Tu-154 was completely burned out.

A huge number of people are afraid to fly for fear of dying. They read about how to survive a plane crash, knowing full well that the likelihood of ending up in such a situation is quite low. And although the chance of getting into a car accident is much higher, the height and helplessness are scary. However, the answer to the question of whether people survived plane crashes is yes. And this already gives us hope. Moreover, some of them managed to escape in conditions where everyone else died. And not least of all, this happened thanks to their reasonable actions.

Causes of plane crashes

The chance of dying during a flight is much less than the chance of winning the lottery. Nevertheless, tragedies occur several times a year, claiming the lives of hundreds of people at a time. Naturally, this is frightening, even if there are survivors of plane crashes. Photos from the accident scene are so impressive that many subsequently refuse to fly if there are other options. But if you think about it, an airplane is still one of the safest modes of transport. Yes, as in any other case, there is a risk. There really aren't too many reasons why something could go wrong.

Firstly, there is the human factor. This is the most likely reason, since equipment failures without human involvement are quite rare. All safety systems are duplicated and tested before each flight, while human capabilities, including reaction time, attention, speed and quality of decision-making, are imperfect. In 70% of cases when certain incidents occur, both with and without victims, it is precisely about the fact that people did something wrong.

The remaining 30% are due to technical failures not related to human errors, as well as complex reasons. Incidents that remain a mystery are usually included in this category.

Aircraft designs are constantly being improved, and engineers, electricians and other specialists are working to minimize the participation of people during the flight process. The Interstate Aviation Committee, national governments, aircraft manufacturers - a fairly large number of parties are interested in investigating the causes of each incident, and therefore serious attention is paid to this. And since it is quite rare that all passengers without exception become victims, their stories make it clear how to survive a plane crash. In fact, this is quite possible, even if the accident occurred at a great height. And even more so there were people who survived plane crashes that happened on earth. So, what does it take to be saved?

Major air disasters

The worst tragedy in which aircraft were involved is considered to be the terrorist attack that occurred on September 11, 2001. Almost 3 thousand people died on this day. However, strictly speaking, these disasters do not fall under the definition, which means that the championship still does not belong to them.

• The most numerous in terms of the number of victims to this day is considered to be the tragedy on the island of Tenerife, which occurred in March 1977, when two aircraft collided on the runway. In total, almost 600 people died. The stories of the survivors of the plane crash are horrifying to the core - of those who survived, 12 passengers simply lost their minds.
• In 1985, the world was struck by a major accident in Japan. The plane lost control, resulting in 520 casualties.
• Another collision, but this time in the air, occurred in November 1996 in India. Almost 350 dead.
• In March 1974, a Turkish Airlines plane crashed near Paris as a result of explosive decompression. 346 people became victims.
• As a result of a terrorist attack that occurred in June 1985, an airliner with 329 people on board was killed 70 kilometers from Cork, Ireland.
• In August 1980, a fire on board near Riyadh killed 301 people.

Only 30 of the 100 worst aviation disasters in history occurred in the 21st century. Have people survived plane crashes? Of course, although not in everyone. Of course, after any, even the most insignificant incident, a thorough investigation is carried out, as a result of which decisions can be made to strengthen security measures at the airport, improve the work of dispatchers and other ground services, as well as the design of aircraft and the introduction of new control systems. So every year the chance of surviving a plane crash, if it happens, becomes higher. And the likelihood of its occurrence is getting lower.

Is it possible to survive a plane crash?

Many people think that this is completely impossible. At an altitude of 10 thousand meters it is very cold, there is little oxygen, and the landing is unlikely to be soft. However, the facts, as well as the stories of survivors of plane crashes, suggest that there is almost always the possibility of a successful outcome.

The previous paragraph listed the most numerous accident victims, but there are a huge number of incidents in which the number of victims was minimal or even zero. Naturally, first of all, everything depends on the actions of the pilots and crew in general, but the passengers themselves, if they do not create panic and remain calm, can be saved in a critical situation.

So how do you survive a plane crash? There is no single instruction on how to act, but you can simply know and follow some recommendations at the stage of packing and boarding the plane. Well, if it does arise, instincts will most likely come into play, although it would be better to keep your head cool.

The safest seats in the cabin

On an airplane, certain areas during flight are believed to be more conducive to survival than others (in case of unforeseen circumstances). In general, this is true. Studies based on accidents that have occurred in the last 30 years confirm this, as do plane crash survivors. Photos of destroyed airliners also suggest certain thoughts. But first things first.

Firstly, the closer to the exit, the better - this is true. Proximity to emergency or regular doors can save lives in some situations, but only if you don’t panic and do everything right. In theory, opening emergency exits is the task of the crew, but the passenger can also do this if necessary.

Second, the back of the plane is usually safer than the front. In head-on collisions, runway derailments, fires, etc., the aircraft cabin and surrounding areas are usually the first to be affected. If the airliner loses control, the tail also lands after the nose. Thus, in some cases, not the most convenient seats can save lives - here the chance of a more or less successful completion of the flight reaches 66%. Stories of survivors of plane crashes often confirm this, however, with one caveat - you need to behave correctly.

Procedure

Survivors of plane crashes in Russia or abroad can tell about some nuances that are already known to everyone, but for some reason are constantly forgotten. It's worth repeating them again.

Firstly, you can start preparing at home - wear comfortable clothes on the plane that do not restrict movement, and have something warm in your hand luggage. Preference should be given to cotton and wool, as they burn less easily. It is also worth paying attention to the comfort of the shoes.

Secondly, you need to listen to the crew during briefings. Yes, of course, for those who fly several times a year, these rules seem boring and understandable without any repetition. But it’s worth thinking at least once that these instructions might come in handy. Even those who have heard them many times can become confused and panic at a critical moment instead of acting correctly while the crew is undergoing regular training. Accounts from plane crash survivors confirm that listening to flight attendants is critical.

Thirdly, when sitting down in your seat, you should do two things: do not put heavy bags in the upper compartment, count the number of rows of seats between the exit and yourself, and also remember this number. In smoky conditions, visibility will be zero, and this knowledge can save lives.

Fourthly, as soon as the command is received to fasten your seat belts, you must do so. Even when the scoreboard turns off, it is better to leave them in the same position. Even if the airliner just hits you, it’s not worth risking your health - hitting your head is also not the most pleasant thing when traveling by plane.

This is what you need to know and do when you just sit down in your seat on a modern airliner. Well, if we are talking about how you can survive in a plane crash, then it is worth considering individual situations, although they have a lot in common. Of course, it is very difficult to act consciously if danger comes suddenly - an explosion, a collision, etc. But if there is a chance, it is worth using it 100 percent.

Control failure and hard landing

Failures of electronic systems and other equipment are quite rare. And if just minor problems do happen and may even go unnoticed by passengers, then more serious problems often lead to an emergency landing at the nearest airport. This, however, does not mean that everything is in order - in the event of breakdowns, everyone on board must follow the instructions of the crew. In this situation, first of all, everything depends on whether anyone manages not to panic. There may be unexpected and sudden maneuvers, a drop in altitude, in general, the most important thing to do is to fasten and tighten your seat belt, remove scarves, ties, chains, etc. from your neck, think again about how to get to the emergency exit and keep calm.

If the landing is expected to be hard, it is worth remembering a special position that will protect the body and head from unnecessary injuries. The seat should be in an upright position, the passenger sits with his hands firmly resting on the backrest in front and rests his head on them. Another option is to bend over as much as possible, wrapping your arms around your hips and resting your head on your knees. It was this knowledge that saved the 9-year-old Dutchman when more than a hundred people died during landing in Tripoli, including the boy’s family. As soon as it becomes clear that something is wrong, even if it is just an area of ​​turbulence, it is worth removing any sharp objects from your pockets that could cause wounds.

Decompression

Depressurization of the interior is also not a very common phenomenon, but it does occur. If it doesn't result in the plane literally falling apart, then the chance of surviving a plane crash is pretty good. The main problem in this case is hypoxia. In this case, there are oxygen masks in the cabin, which are located above the passengers’ heads and, if necessary, fall out automatically. As soon as they appear, you should immediately put them on, and not just press them to your face. Those accompanying children should suppress their parental instincts and take care of themselves first. Yes, in this case it is better to show healthy selfishness, because if the adult loses consciousness, then there will be no one to help the children. You should immediately prepare for a sudden loss of altitude - according to their instructions, pilots will descend as quickly as possible. Otherwise, again, you should remain calm and follow all instructions from the flight attendants.

In this and the previous case, during a hard landing you should also be wary of fire and smoke. If this happens, firstly, you need to go as low as possible and protect your respiratory organs, secondly, cover yourself with a blanket or thick clothing to escape from open fire, and thirdly, make your way to any emergency exit, trying to avoid crowds and crushes . The stories of survivors of the Pago Pago plane crash in 1974 illustrate this easily. 97 passengers were unable to quickly get out of the burning liner, trying to leave it through the front door, while the four lucky survivors got out through the spare ones.

Aircraft hijacking

Thanks to the efforts of all countries to combat terrorism, this situation can be considered extremely unlikely. But it’s better to know what to do in this case. By and large, you should behave in approximately the same way as in any other hostage situation - the plane is no fundamentally different. As in any of the other emergency situations described, you need to try to remain as calm as possible. If someone was injured during the hijacking of an aircraft, it is necessary to provide assistance to him without exposing himself to danger. You should not provoke terrorists into excessive aggression by being indignant, shouting or crying loudly. No sudden movements or resistance, especially if you don’t have the necessary skills. When hostages are taken, negotiations begin almost immediately to secure their release. If they fail, at some point the assault begins. And here the smartest thing you can do is to fall on the floor, closing your eyes and ears, while staying away from the hijackers. Specially trained people cope with neutralizing terrorists much better than ordinary people, and in some cases they managed to get by with a minimum of victims, who were later able to tell how to survive a plane crash. An ultrasound scanner, an X-ray machine, special programs that help select particularly suspicious passengers for special inspection - new technologies also help fight terrorism.

Splashdown

In addition to what has already been said about a hard landing, in this situation it is also necessary to remember the special vests that are stored under each chair. With or without a command from the crew, if it becomes clear that the landing took place on water, you need to take it out and put it on. After this, you must leave the aircraft cabin through the emergency exits located on the wings. You should not jump if the emergency ladder is not deployed - the height will be about 3 meters. You need to activate the vest and slide on your stomach, feet first, into the water. Next, you should wait for help and try to move. The vest will save you from drowning, but it cannot save you from hypothermia. In 2009, it was this very tool that helped a 13-year-old passenger wait for rescuers, whose arrival took almost 14 hours.

About the survivors

Man is a creature of incredible potential. In extreme situations, many people show miracles of strength, endurance, and intelligence. Some people are simply incredibly lucky, while others are saved because they did everything right. There have already been several examples of how people who survived plane crashes behaved. But there are a few more worth mentioning.

It’s hard not to remember the famous Vesna Vulovich, who could tell you how to survive a plane crash when falling from a height of 10 thousand meters. We can say that she was simply lucky: at the time of the disaster, the girl lost consciousness, being in the tail of the plane, the fall was softened by trees and the bodies of other passengers, and she was found very quickly, so despite serious injuries and long rehabilitation, she was able to return to full health. life 1.5 years after the tragedy. However, her will to live and courage cannot be denied.

Of course, there were survivors of plane crashes in Russia and the USSR who showed themselves to be real heroes. Such an example is Larisa Savitskaya, who held the record before Vulovich. Her story about how people survive plane crashes is also worthy of attention. In the summer of 1981, she and her husband were just returning from a honeymoon when a passenger airliner collided with a military aircraft. The crew members died almost instantly, the aircraft fell apart, and debris began to fall down. At the moment of the disaster, Larisa woke up from a shock and a temperature change. It took 8 minutes for the debris she was on to fall until it landed on a birch grove, which softened the landing. The girl remained unconscious for several hours, and when she woke up, she found her husband’s body next to her. She was found 2 days later, when rescuers no longer hoped to find anyone alive. By the way, as Larisa admitted, at some point she remembered an episode of the film “Miracles Still Happen,” in which the girl was saved by clinging to a chair without even being fastened to it.

By the way, the mentioned film was based on the story of another girl who could tell how to survive a plane crash and get to people through the jungle. 17-year-old Juliana Koepke was flying with her mother to visit her father for the Christmas holidays, but the flight was not destined to end safely. From a height of 3 kilometers, the plane fell into the depths of the jungle after lightning hit its wing and caught fire. Over the next 9 days, the girl, relying on the knowledge about the tropical forests received from her father, tried to reach people, and she succeeded. She was the only one to survive.

So, as already mentioned, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to survive a plane crash is positive. There are many examples of both miraculous salvations and successful outcomes due to conscious, correct actions. So don't neglect boring instructions - there are someone's lives behind them.