Seat Belts and Life Vests
This is an issue that concerned me many times as a passenger when preparing for a flight - whilst listening and watching the safety demonstration.
As a normal passenger I wouldn't even know what I am looking for under the seat - sorry - did I say looking?!? I only can feel and touch for "something" underneath the seat while sitting down strapped in! Sorry folks - but no one has ever shown me, or any other passenger on any flight I have been on, what I am "looking" for under the seat!?
Furthermore, the demonstration clearly shows how to put on the life vest and secure it - "strap around your waste - pull to tighten" - however - try to put the life vest on, if you even can find it under the seat (whilst sitting down and securly strapped in) whilst sitting in the seat and strapped in!?!? As far as I am concerned - no way.
Now my version of events on board of that fatal flight AF447:
From a passenger's perspective - the first thing that usually happens in the advent of turbulence ist the "Seatbelt Sign" turned on - usually followed by a cabin crew announcement of the same.
I would therefore suggest that, more or less, everyone on board was sitting down, securely strapped in INCLUDING all of the crew with their four-point safety harness (not just a seat belts).
I further suggest that the flight deck, at some point, realised their extreme problems and allerted the cabin "to prepare for ditching" - possibly even by the captain himself trying to calm the situation and therfore making his way into the passenger compartment- hence he is not sitting down strapped in at this point in time.
All passengers on board are now scrambling for life vests under their seats and to put them on as instructed. To do so they HAVE to undo their seat belts, get up, put on the life vests, sit down again and strap back in. There would have been some panic on board, some people may need help - so some of the cabin crew get up to assist - now they are no longer strapped in either. Some peassengers may not be able to sit down at all, due to the rapid downwards drop of the plane!
If at this point the impact does occure I would not be surprised that about 50 passengers are not strapped into their seatbelts including some of the crew which did attempt to help - nor am I not surpised that no life vests are found used - there would simply not have been enough time - a few minutes to move 228 passengers from their seats and back in?!?!
As an aside: Next flight I am on I will endeavour to lay on the floor and look for that "life vest" ...