EVEN THOUGH air accidents are extremely rare, there are some ways passengers can make sure they stay safe in the event of a crash.
Yesterday, a Delta plane crashed and flipped on its roof at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.
Details of the plane crash, including what caused the incident, have yet to be revealed with 18 people injured.
It also comes after two major crashes in the US earlier this year, including when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in Washington DC and a plane crash in Alaska.
But over the last few years, travel safety experts, and crash survivors, have been issuing life-saving advice to passengers.
Aviation analyst Mary Schiavo said, following a plane incident in Houson in 2021, told CNN: “When I board that plane, I note to myself and I say, ‘My nearest exits are three rows up and two rows back,’ or whatever they happen to be.
“I also always try to get myself as close as I can to an exit – if I’m in an aisle and my exit is not an exit row then I look for my pathway to get out.”
Knowing where emergency exits are is just one reason to listen to the safety briefing issued by flight attendants at the beginning of a flight.
While it can feel repetitive for frequent flyers to hear the same announcement, ignoring it could lead to fatal repercussions.
Schiavo’s advice has been echoed by Vance Hilderman, CEO of one of the world’s largest aviation safety service companies Afuzion Inc.
He previously told Sun Online Travel: “You should pay attention to the plane while you are taking off and landing.
“I’d put your phone away for those moments, listen to the safety briefing and just pay attention to what’s going on.
“Work out where your nearest exit is, how you’d get out in an emergency, things like that. It could make a big difference.”
Not only do flight attendants point out all the exits on an aircraft, they also explain what to do in the event of a crash, including when a plane goes down over water.
Josh Peltz, who was a passenger on the famous 2009 plane crash on the Hudson River, which has since been dramatised into a film starring Tom Hanks, has previously said his knowledge of the safety procedures helped him, and others, escape the aircraft.
The very first thing that they will do is ignore that message
He previously told the 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.’
“Thankfully, I’d just read that. I knew people would rush to the emergency exit, so if it had jammed there would have been a pile-up.”
Despite the safety instructions from flight attendants and the safety cards placed in each seat, only 10 of the 150 passengers on board the Hudson River crash left the aircraft with their life jackets.
Vance has also previously encouraged passengers not to ignore safety messages and instructions from crew.
He said: “People are told not to panic, and not to grab their belongings, but they do it every time – they rush and try to get off the plane and whether it’s a bag or other personal items, they try and get them.
“It holds people up and it causes problems in the cabin that you don’t need.
“It’s vitally important but it’s really strange because obviously people are told to leave things behind, then the very first thing that they will do is ignore that message.”
Vance has also encouraged passengers to queue efficiently in the event of a crash, something British holidaymakers should be able to do effectively.
The aviation safety boss added: “It’s not just about thinking about yourself, you have to think about your fellow passengers and everyone rushing at the same time will cause problems in the aisles.
“Queueing and moving efficiently is what you hope for in that incident, it doesn’t always happen.”
Vance has also revealed that the safest seat on a plane is over the wing, right next to the emergency door.
This is because passengers closest to the emergency exit will be the first out of the cabin in the unlikely event of a plane crash.
Emergency exit seats also have more legroom, making them comfier for passengers.
Experts have also encouraged passengers to adopt the brace position in the event of a crash.
Not only does the brace position help minimise flailing, it also helps prevent head injuries.
'Freak accident' is something 'from the movies'
SCOTT Keyes, founder and chief flight expert at the Going travel app, shared insights with The U.S. Sun following the Delta plane crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17.
Regarding the cause of the Toronto plane crash:
“It’s too early to speculate what precisely happened, I’m afraid. It’s certainly safe to call it a “freak accident” and that may be understating just how rare a scene like this is. An inverted passenger plane is something moviegoers saw in Denzel Washington’s 2012 film Flight—not something we see in reality until today.”
Regarding smaller jets having been involved in recent crashes:
“While it’s certainly unexpected to have two major incidents in a row take place on small aircraft, it’s not totally shocking. Around one-third of commercial aircraft in the US are smaller planes like the Delta CRJ seen today. We’ll wait and see for the investigators’ report, but given the differing circumstances of Toronto and DCA, I think it’s highly unlikely that this is a built-in aircraft issue similar to what we saw with successive 737 MAX crashes.”
Regarding air travel safety:
“You are far, far more likely to get in an accident on your drive to the airport than on your flight from the airport. On a per-mile basis, your mortality risk in a car is over 100 times higher than in a passenger plane. The fact that incidents like these grab so much attention is because of their rarity.”
— Scott Keyes, founder and chief flight expert at the Going travel app
Meanwhile, if you’re a nervous flyer, you’re in for a rough time as it’s likely flights are going to have more turbulence than ever.
And here are some plane myths which aren’t true, according to a flight attendant.
