We're gonna need a bigger boat...

[lazerboy2000]

I was watching a program on the Discovery channel the other night about the plane crash in the Hudson. They were interviewing several of the passengers to recount their stories, and one of them had a story that was very shocking to me.

After the exited the plane and jumped into the life rafts, they realized that the rafts were still attached to the SINKING plane and could not untie or cut the rope. Therefore they would have gone down with the plane had they not been immediately rescued. The only way they were able to cut the rope, was when a boat arrived and threw them a knife.

Seeing as to how fortunate they were of being rescued virtually immediately in a very populated area. What would happen if they landed in the middle of the ocean with no help for hours? It was middle of winter, so they'd lose all motor function in their hands and not be able to untie the rope.

What would you have done in this situation? Are there any cutting type tools that are allowed on flights? Could you even bring a small piece of a hack-saw blade, since it has no point?

 

[knarfeng]

Seeing as to how fortunate they were of being rescued virtually immediately in a very populated area. What would happen if they landed in the middle of the ocean with no help for hours?

If it had been the middle of the ocean, the plane would have broken apart on impact. The reason it did not break apart on the river was the total absence of waves as well as a letter perfect landing by the pilot.

The chances of you being aboard an airliner that crashes, surviving the crash, then needing a knife to escape are on the order of you being struck by a meteor. Worry about something else.

 

[Joshua J.]

On the other hand, cutting people (yourself or others) out of a burning vehicle is much more common, and very much a legitimate reason for having a knife IMO.

 

[bitter1]

My mom who is a flight attendant said that the pilots where allowed to carry multi tools on board with them to fix things but not now they have to call maintenance and get the screw tightened or something like that and have the plane delayed for however long.

 

[artmichalek]

If it had been the middle of the ocean, the plane would have broken apart on impact. The reason it did not break apart on the river was the total absence of waves as well as a letter perfect landing by the pilot.

The chances of you being aboard an airliner that crashes, surviving the crash, then needing a knife to escape are on the order of you being struck by a meteor. Worry about something else.

It's a valid concern. If life rafts are carried by planes, they should be functional. There are a lot of different scenarios that fall between a perfect landing with no damage and complete disintegration of the aircraft. I for one would not be too happy about watching my life raft get pulled under by a sinking plane because the tether couldn't be released. In this case, the plane sank just slowly enough for a design flaw to not cause fatalities.

That said, I'm not going to start trying to smuggle knives onto airplanes in anticipation of this scenario. The issue could be more reasonably solved by a change in the raft tether design. Ideally, the raft should be separable from the tether without requiring any tools or dexterity. Say a shackle connection with a big red release handle. It's not as romantic as jumping to the rescue with my trusty knife, but I would trust it a lot more if I was scared, hypothermic, and had jet fuel in my eyes.

 

[artmichalek]

My mom who is a flight attendant said that the pilots where allowed to carry multi tools on board with them to fix things but not now they have to call maintenance and get the screw tightened or something like that and have the plane delayed for however long.

We have reached a new height of absurdity when a pilot can have a gun in the cockpit but not a screwdriver.

 

[shunsui]

I always felt that if you were really worried about security on an airliner, you'd issue knives to all passengers.

 

[Dag-nabit]

The issue could be more reasonably solved by a change in the raft tether design. Ideally, the raft should be separable from the tether without requiring any tools or dexterity. .

Exactly.

Kevin

 

[De4thStr1ke]

The issue could be more reasonably solved by a change in the raft tether design. Ideally, the raft should be separable from the tether without requiring any tools or dexterity. Say a shackle connection with a big red release handle. It's not as romantic as jumping to the rescue with my trusty knife, but I would trust it a lot more if I was scared, hypothermic, and had jet fuel in my eyes.

Agreed, idiot proof is always the best policy.

As for the original question, there are some items that are allowed on the plane now, including scissors. Not sure on the exact length, but IIRC they can be pretty friggin big. So that would be one option I guess. Still trying to get my head around the fact that you can carry screwdrivers and scissors on a plane, but not even a small SAK is allowed....