Originally Posted by kappa
Well, for starters, if the aft FA hadn't kept the passengers from opening the rear doors, at least a dozen people would have died. the ditching wouldn't have been a success then now would it?
This always struck me as odd. In the copy of the FCOM that I have seen (which may have been revised since), it says in the ditching emergency procedure:
Originally Posted by Airbus A320 FCOM 3.02.80, P 4, SEQ 001, REV 24
- EVACUATION
After impact the lowest point of the passenger exits (aft door) remains above the waterline for more than 7 minutes.
In my understanding this implies that all exits can be used for an evacuation after a ditching.
Maybe someone knows if that procedure has changed for A320? (I have heard that Boeing 737 does not allow the aft exits to be used after ditching.)
Bernd