A Plane Crash in Denver
The crash of the Continental Boeing 737 in Denver on Saturday was classic, if you can say that about a plane crash. It was a case study in how plane crashes actually happen—not how we imagine they happen.
We tend to assume that if your plane crashes, you’re doomed. The plane will plummet from the air in a terrifying free fall, and there is not a thing we can do but be very, very afraid. In fact, in most plane crashes, the accident happens during take off or landing (take off in this case) and the plane ends up on the ground and on fire. Then everything depends on the passengers and crew getting off quickly.
By all accounts, this was a hell of a fire. The survivors reported that overhead bins were liquifying in front of their eyes. But by the time the firefighters got on board, all the passengers were already gone. As Mike Benton of the Denver Fire Department told a local ABC reporter: “I took a little pause before went on plane and braced myself for what I was going to see. And I was overjoyed when [I] walked in and there was nobody on the plane. It was like an abandoned plane.”
We don’t know yet what happened on board Continental flight, but there are early reports that the flight attendants blocked passengers from trying to exit on the side of the plane that was on fire and directed them to safer exit doors. Most flight attendants are now trained to shriek at passengers to “Get out! Get off the plane now!”—which tends to be very effective. There is also this report from a passenger who posted a string of messages to his Twitter account shortly after getting off the plane: “Whoever was on the left side exit row, God bless him, was johnny on the spot and instantly had the door open.” An excellent reminder that leg room is never free: People who sit in the exit row have a responsibility to pay attention to the safety briefing and to visually rehearse opening the door. It’s actually no small feat to get that thing open under stress.
As in most crashes, some passengers also slowed down the evacuation, according to early reports, by taking the time to try to get their overhead bags (a very common reaction that usually has more to do with how the brain works under stress and less to do with a craven desire to save one’s laptop). But in the end, all 110 passengers and crew members survived (58 people were injured).
Joni said on December 22, 2008 at 6:28 pm
You know, I read The Unthinkable a few months ago, and thought of that book as soon as I heard of the Denver accident.
It’s actually rather comforting to know that we
Joni said on December 22, 2008 at 6:31 pm
(Sorry, my kid hit the ‘submit’ button.) I was saying that it’s actually comforting to know that we are a lot more in control of our survival than it initially seems. I always think of that couple that survived Tenerife because the husband had pointed out the location of the exits beforehand. Fear is useless, but awareness is a lot more useful than we give it credit for.
Marilyn said on December 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Always know where the exits are. Decide what you will take if you have to exit suddenly. When I travel with my tiny dog, I have her in a soft sided kennel because I can pick it up and grasp it to my chest if I need to. I never wear nylons or synthetic clothes on the plane because they melt to you, and I always wear sturdy shoes that I do not take off. I can change later. I learned all of this by reading books like The Unthinkable, and working briefly for the Boeing Airplane Company, where they thought about surviving plane crashes a lot.
alex said on January 06, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Hmm, some interesting.
Seth said on January 06, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Just finished reading your book and found it fascinating. It seems to me that the FAA/airlines should make it a policy to tell folks that in an emergency evacuation of an airplane you are not to take your overhead or underseat luggage.
Peter said on May 06, 2009 at 3:08 am
It’s always difficult to survive during a plane crash.
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michael arthur said on January 31, 2010 at 7:31 am
Plane accident happening often nowadays and it should be worried for the Government as well as for the Airlines.
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I remember a big storm that we fly around, and yet it has so shaken the people have cried and thought very afraid that something bad is happening now. But we got through it intact.
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Private Cloud said on September 06, 2011 at 12:07 pm
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