Airliner crash: what to have on you

A

agent jim

Joined
Apr 16, 2001
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The recent crash of the Air France flight in Canada and the miraculous escape of the passengers got me thinking. What would I need to have on my body in case a rapid egress down the emergency slide were necessary when grabbing the carry on bag in the overheard or the fanny pack under the seat in front of me isn't an option and of course knives wouldn't be allowed on board at all. It would have to be pockets or unobtrusive belt pack that I could sit comfortably with in the leprachaun sized seat.

My ideas are:
-long sleeved cotton shirt and pants to avoid burns.
-comfortable walking shoes. Some of the survivors hiked up a ravine in the rain and hitched a ride back to the airport from the highway.
-my wallet with enough local currency and credit cards to get by for 3 days. I used to put this in my fanny pack on the floor to prevent butt-numbing but no more.
-good flashlight like my surefire E-2
-three day supply of meds. This used to be in my carry-on but no more.
-important documents like passport and ticket stub. These are usually on me.
-charged cell phone with family, work and emergency numbers programed in.
-notebook with phone numbers written down, extra sheets and pen. usually on me.

Some of this seems pretty basic but anyone who travels a lot can attest to how unprepared the average tarveler would be to this situation.

I invite suggestions and comments.

agent jIM
 
Regarding the shoes, I find it ironic that the new security requirement of making people remove their shoes while going through the metal detectors has caused a lot of people to start wearing sandals or other slip-ons while flying. This is a very dangerous practice as the slip-ons will certainly become fly-offs during the crash and you will then have to de-plane barefoot into a debris field of jagged metal and flaming materials. You should always wear tie-on shoes when flying.
 
I think a bible is really the best thing to have in case of a crash.

Probably the best thing to have in case of a crash is a big dose of good luck. Honestly, other than wearing heavy clothes and boots you are very limited to what you can bring on board.

Knowing where your exits are, knowing what to do and not panicking are, in my opinion, the best items to have in that situation. I certainly hope I never have to find out how well I would do.
 
I think my under-the-seat bag wouldn't still be under the seat when the plane crashes. It would be in my lap.
 
Shoes and a credit card.

I've also heard that if you think you're going to crash that you should try to void your bladder - you'll suffer less internal damage during the crash if your bladder is empty. I'm not sure that's something I consciously need to remember.
 
"I've also heard that if you think you're going to crash that you should try to void your bladder"


I think that will probably happen automatically. :)
 
I always get a laugh out of the safety briefing on airplanes. You know, the part about how there's a lifevest under your seat and follow the floor lights to the exits and and the slides that inflate automatically and then turn into life rafts and the lights that come on automatically in the water and all that. I don't think it's ever happened. I love the safety videos too where all the well-dressed people are proceeding in a calm, orderly manner to the exits. It's all so genteel, isn't it?

Tuesday's crash wasn't really a crash. The plane skidded off the runway at the airport. Witnesses said that emergency crews were on the scene within one minute and that within just a few minutes, there were more emergency workers than passengers. So, I don't really see the value in carrying three days of food rations on my person.

I can not recall an incident of an airliner successfully crash landing and the passengers putting in their self-inflating life vests with the lights that come on automatically in the water, hugging their seat backs to their chests, following the floor lights to the exits, slidding down the slides, and the boarding the life rafts. Nope. When a jumbo jet falls from the sky, it's all over with.

Sometimes, jets in trouble do make it to an airport to land. Sometimes incidents such as Tuesday's do happen at airports. In these cases, there really isn't much need for the passengers to have emergency equipment with them.

What can you carry: ID so that you can be properly accounted for. A small flashlight might be helpful.


A change of cloths? I don't see how there'll be any need for it. You're either going down that slide into the arms of a waiting firemen, or you're not going down that slide.

Shoes? Don't worry about 'em. The idea that the plane is going to put down in some moutainous region and you're gonna hike out is just not gonna happen. Jumbo jets that crash into mountains break into thousands of little pieces... and so do their passengers.

Mr. AaronL's suggestion that you make a mental note of where the exits are as you take your seat is true not just on airplanes but in any room you enter. And his suggestion of a Bible is probably the most practical here offered.

Sorry to be a wet-rag. I know that there are folks who, like Linus carrying his security blanket, still think they need some gadget or some piece of gear to depend on in an emergency. If having your security blanket with you eases your fears of flying, then get a photographer's vest and pack it full with three days of food and water, a tent, a satellite phone, GPS, and whatever else you want. But, personally, I think that preparing to fly is more spiritual then physical. When I board a flight, I'm comfortable with the idea that I'll either stroll down the jet walk at my destination or die in an inferno of a crash.... which would simply mean I'll stroll down the jet walk at my ultimate destination. Either outcome is fine with me. That's the way flying works.
 
You've forgotten the most important - your brain !! Research into emergencies shows that only 10% respond in a calm rational way. The rest freek out to one degree or another.The research also shows that often there is a very short time [no more than a minute or two] that you have to understand there is an emergency, make a plan, and act on that plan!! ...When I was a kid there was a fire in the apartment below ours in the middle of the night. My father woke us up and said 'get dressed now' .Everyone got out of the building an stood around in their pjs watching the firefighters . They were angry at us since my family was dressed !
 
One of the most sensible things i've heard said was to NEVER EVER inflate your lifevest whilst you're still on the plane. There have been lots of cases where those people inflated the lifevest and got stuck in the wreckage because of it. Always inflate it when you're already in the water.

I wouldn't really need anything else other than the stuff on me. Usually my passport and my surefire which is always in my pocket. Malaysian passports are really valuable nowadays and it's such a hassle getting a new one.
 
brewthunda said:
Shoes and a credit card.

I've also heard that if you think you're going to crash that you should try to void your bladder - you'll suffer less internal damage during the crash if your bladder is empty. I'm not sure that's something I consciously need to remember.
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Not to worry. I think everyone would "piss in their pants" if their plane was about to crash. :D

Oops! Looks like AaronL already said the same thing. :D
 
I read somewhere that the most common "major injury" in an automobile crash is a ruptured bladder. I have no idea how to research if this is true. I have been a little more lenient on my children's requests for rest stops since I read that...

Whenever the airlines test the exit chutes there are some people who get permanent injuries. In the testing facility. This is not a place for tube tops, shorts and sandals, let alone bikinis. Solid clothing and shoes are very important to reduce burns, scrapes and some punctures. Trying to save some skin in spite of inadequate clothing can lead to rough tumbles that can cause permanent joint and spine injuries.

Immediate action is often much better than wait and see. There have been jets that crash and burn on runways that have about a 30 second window of opportunity to evacuate. The people that walked down the towers passed some groups that decided to wait for the authorities. Who was it that said a good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed later? Something like that.

A fanny pack or waist pack that can be worn in the front to avoid numbing various parts of the anatomy, or ankle wallet, or money belt or chest pack of some kind that can stay put in flight while avoiding going missing in confusion could save some people a lot of grief.

I would also love to see some statistics on all aircraft that did not stop on an approved runway, or on the correct area of one, concerning survival rates and main causes of loss of life.
 
By the way, anyone who has ever arrived twenty minutes late at gate L46, checked the monitor and found his connecting flight departing from gate A2 on-time in thirty minutes knows the importance of wearing good shoes when traveling. Anyone who has ever arrived at his departure gate to see the words "DELAYED" flashing above the desk and three hundred people crowed into a departure lounge with fifty chairs knows the wisdom of comfortable shoes when traveling. Any traveler who has ever asked a skycap, "Where does the shuttle for the El Cheapo Hotel depart from?" And been told, "Do you see that red sign over there?" "Ah... red sign... no..." "Here, use these binoculars." "Thank you, yes, I see it now..." "That's where your shuttle leaves from." knows to wear good shoes.

I'm often ammused to fly, for example, from San Diego to Chicago in January and see folks boarding the plane in shorts, tank tops, and sandals. Always think destination.
 
Yeah, I never travel without comfortable, but functional, clothes and shoes on and a paperback book. Magazines work too, but you can go through one in an hour or two, and there is too much jumping around in content to really occupy your mind. I find a book works better for long delays.
 
I remember watchign a dateline or something like that show about airplane crashes. The one thing not to have on is Nylon. It wil melt and stick you your skin. They showed a stewardess that was weaing pantyhose and they melted to her legs...she was messed up.
 
I think the 3 days of MEDICATION was what was spoken not food. Good idea no matter a crash or not. Sometimes your luggage doesn't arrive with you and 3 days should give you time to get refill's.


Paul
 
pcnorton said:
I think the 3 days of MEDICATION was what was spoken not food. Good idea no matter a crash or not. Sometimes your luggage doesn't arrive with you and 3 days should give you time to get refill's.


Paul
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Oh, absolutely. Not having any prescription meds myself, I forget about them. But if you have prescriptions that you need or even want, take them in your carry-on bag. But, in a crash, forget about them. If you survive, there will be doctors available immediately who can arrange replacements.

But, as a traveler, those sorts of things should always be in your carry-on with you.

Gollnick's first rule of travel: Never be separated from your shaving kit. Gollnick's second rule: wear cloths that are comfortable and durable AND that you wouldn't mind being seen in tomorrow. If you're arriving on Monday night and have formal business meetings first thing in the morning on Tuesday, then you're gonna travel in a suit and at least have your tie in your carry-on. This way, if your checked baggage gets delayed, you'll at least be able to pull yourself together for your meeting on Tuesday morning. Now, of course, if you can travel with a carry-on garment bag and have your suit in there, well that's better. But you get the idea: have cloths with you to wear the next day.
 
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