In airplane crashes, make sure you know the steps to safely exit a plane.
Newscasts seem to be filled with the tragedy of air crashes, more and more often. And though a plane crash may be unavoidable, at least by the passengers who become its victims, there are ways to help crash victims survive the horrors of such a tragedy.
First and foremost, the pre-flight speeches by flight attendants, or films they show, are more than mindless time fillers. While waiting for your plane to taxi out to the runway for take-off, listen carefully to the given instructions. Notice the emergency exits all around you: those close to you, as well as those in front and behind you. Try to memorize their locations. Also, take out the emergency card that is usually placed in the storage pocket directly in front of you (on the back of the seat in front of yours); read, study and memorize what it says. If you sit close to a wing, study the emergency hatch located to your side, just over the wing. Make a note of the procedure for opening the hatch and releasing any emergency slide.
Think about all of the instructions you've seen, heard and read. Make them a vital part of every air trip you take. In the heat of a crashed plane on the ground or in the water, the panicked movements of passengers will severely limit your chances of safely exiting the plane if you haven't made a point of already locating the exits. Should an air crash prematurely end your flight, make your advance attention to details work in favor of your getting safely out.
The next important thing you can do, in the event of an air crash, is to stay calm. Avoid the natural tendency to panic and wildly claw your way toward whatever direction you think will take you outside the plane. Rest assured, many - if not most - of the other passengers will be doing just that. And that can get you killed. If you panic, no amount of advance preparation will help you now. Instead, pull yourself together and try to get your bearings. Figure out where you are, especially in relation to the emergency exits. Try to see if the exits are blocked or not. Then, head for the nearest accessible exit.
Try not to fight against the panic of other passengers around you, but don't let their confusion keep you from your own survival. Be firm with them, and try to herd them in the right direction. Speak calmly, but loudly enough to be heard. Firmly push those in your way toward your escape destination, calmly explaining why you are pushing against them. But don't push so hard that someone may fall down. Serious injury, or even death, can happen to a person who falls and is trampled by the other frightened passengers. Speak calmly, move certainly and with purpose, and try to convince those confused souls around you that you know the quickest way out of the plane - for all of you.
Also, don't try to carry all of your carry-on items with you. It's a great temptation to hold onto a purse, or briefcase, or other personal belongings you hate to leave behind. But none of these items is worth your life, or the lives of any passengers you may be preventing from exiting the plane safely. Carrying items with you not only ties up your hands from climbing or maneuvering, it also gets in the way, between you and other passengers, as all of you try to exit the plane.
While heading to the exits, if smoke and fumes are filling the cabin, keep low to the ground, to avoid poisonous fumes that cause unconsciousness and death. Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth, giving yourself a chance to escape the toxic fumes. Try to remember basic fire escape safety precautions that would work anywhere, no matter if you are at home or in an airplane. Some escape methods can work in either situation.
If you are the person closest to an emergency exit, try to calmly and properly open the door and exit the plane. Don't let the panic of those around you cause you to falter when it's time to get that door or hatch open. Again, if panic takes over, even the simplest instructions or exit door will be impossible to manage.
Once you have safely exited the plane, move as far away from the debris as possible. There is always the chance that a fire or explosion could catch you even after you have reached the safety outside the plane. If you are able, lead other injured passengers with you, helping them reach a safe distance, as well.
If water fills the plane before you can escape, quickly find your exit, and then swim strongly and in the most direct route - over seats or other objects in your way. Find that exit and swim out, then up to the surface. Once there, you may be tempted to go back for others. Though heroes are made and lives are saved in such actions, lives are also lost by would-be rescuers. Make sure your own swimming abilities, and the plane's situation, are compatible enough for you to safely re-enter the plane and get back out alive. Your best move might, instead, be to help guide, or pull, passengers out of the submerged exit, and push them up towards fresh air. Then, make for the nearest shore.
If you happen to fly over water, don't forget that most seats contain a flotation device underneath, which can be detached and carried along as you escape the plane. This can help you stay afloat until help arrives.
We hope never to be forced to face the agony of an air crash. But close attention to all emergency details, before your plane leaves the ground, can save your life farther down the road of your flight.
