I read a book last year that analyzed a number of different plane crashes and made a set of survival recommendations based on shared characteristics of previous crash survivors. Here are some of those recommendations:
-Sit within 6 rows of an emergency exit.
-Sit in an aisle seat.
-Wear close-toed shoes that will stay on your feet (no flip flops, sandals, etc.).
-Wear long pants.
-Wear all natural fibers, nothing that will melt and fuse to your skin.
-Pay attention to the safety briefing, and read the safety instructions.
-Put your hands on your life preserver so that you know where it is and what it feels like. If your seat doesn’t have one (as is sometimes the case), request one from the flight attendant prior to takeoff or request a change of seats.
I think we’ve all heard that travel by plane is the safest form of travel. Surprisingly, your chances of surviving an aircraft accident are more than 90%.
Statistically speaking, fit people of medium build are more likely to survive than others. People who have difficulty moving through the cabin under normal circumstances will have significantly reduced chances of survival. Men are more likely to survive than woman. People aged between 20 and 40 are more likely to survive than other age groups.
In the author’s analysis, he did not find that a certain part of the plane was more survivable than others. The tail is no better than the wing. It all comes down to proximity to emergency exit. If there is fire, you have a limited amount of time to evacuate the plane before the aluminum frame and skin ignite. If you are still in the plane when that happens, it’s bad news.
