AF447

[SaturnV]

Air India 182 autopsy results.

2.9 Medical Evidence
Medical examination was conducted on the 131 bodies recovered after the accident. This comprises about 40 per cent of the 329 persons on board. It should be noted that assigned seating is based on preliminary information. Also, the exact position of passengers is not certain because it is not known if passengers changed their seats after lift-off. On the information available, the passengers were seated as follows:

Passengers
Seats Available Occupied Bodies Identified

Zone A 16 1 0
Zone B 22 0 0
Upper Deck 18 7 0
Zone C 112 104 + 2 29
Zone D 86 84 + 1 38
Zone E 123 105 + 3 50
SUB-TOTAL 377 301 (+6 infants) 117
Crew:
Flight Deck 3 3 0
Cabin 19 19 5
TOTAL 399 329 122

There were 30 children recovered and they showed less overall injury. The average severity of injury increases from Zone C to E and is significantly less in C than in Zones D and E.

Flail pattern injuries were exhibited by eight bodies. Five of these were in Zone E, one in Zone D, two in Zone C and one crew member. The ignificance of flail injuries is that it indicates that the victims came out of the aircraft at altitude before it hit the water. There were 26 bodies that showed signs of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), including 12 children, 9 in Zones C, 6 in Zone D and 11 in Zone E. There were 25 bodies showing signs of decompression, including 7 children. They were evenly distributed throughout the zones, but with a tendency to be seated at the sides, particularly the right side (12 bodies).

Twenty-three bodies showed evidence of receiving injuries from a vertical force. They tended to be older, seated to the rear of the aircraft (4 in Zone C, 5 in Zone D, 11 in Zone E, 2 crew and 1 unknown), and 16 had little or no clothing. Twenty-one bodies were found with no clothing, including three children. They tended to be seated to the rear and to the right (3 in Zone C, 5 in Zone D, 11 in Zone E and 2 unknown).

There were 49 cases showing signs of impact-type injuries, including 19 children (15 in Zone C, 15 in Zone D, 15 in Zone E, 1 crew member and 3 unknown).

There is a general absence of signs indicating the wearing of lap belts. Pathological examination failed to reveal any injuries indicative of a fire or explosion.
*See Appendix C for interior seating arrangement.

From a report of flail injuries from use of ejection seats:

Q forces are related to indicated airspeed rather than true airspeed. These forces increase with the square of the velocity thus producing the recommendation that pilots should reduce airspeed and increase altitude prior to ejection (3). Q forces have been divided into those produced by windblast, resulting in injuries such as petechial and subconjunctival hemorrhage, and those injuries produced by flailing of the head and extremities. Flail injuries are the result of the differential deceleration of the extremities in relationship to the torso and seat. Flail injury occurs as a consequence of the extremities leaving their initial position, building up substantial acceleration, and then suddenly stopping. The sudden stop may produce a bone fracture, joint dislocation, or total disarticulation.

The Brazilian autopsy reports are suggestive of numerous bodies with flail injuries.