Biggles44
If those two were wearing Immersion suits while flying - well done them. If they were not, then they were very foolish and very fortunate to have managed to scramble into them while gliding toward that cold ocean.
I wonder what these two were thinking as they watched their survival gear sink with the aircraft?
I have seen many crews/pax flying the North Atlantic dressed in their street clothes with their liferaft & survival gear (if any at all) buried underneath their luggage. I guess these folk rely on luck and their cellphone.....
The Arctic and its ocean is a very unforgiving environment, to treat it in a cavalier fashion will work most of the time because of increasingly reliable aircraft, satphones, gps and so on but when it does decide to bite you in the arse you will surely die unless you are undeservedly fortunate or have prepared for it properly.
I would love to know what the circumstances were surrounding this accident. Were they wearing immersion suits? Which suits were they (without feet and gloves and hoods? ) Did they have a liferaft, which? Survival gear, what? How/where had they stowed their raft and survival gear in the cabin? How much time did they have following their engine failures? Etc etc.
I suppose I should be curious about the cause of the engine failures but I am really much more concerned about the level of preparedness of people flying in the Arctic.
If the Canadians who go and look for these folks manage to find them alive that is the best ending possible. If it is determined that they did not adequately prepare then the Canadians should send them a bill. Or leave them for the bears.