PA28 ditched off Guernsey

[goldeneaglepilot]

A very sad event, my thoughts and condolences are with the poor wife. The reality is that even if you survive the landing into water (difficult in any aircraft, worse in a fixed undercarriage aircraft) then the odds are against you, you have got to get out, get the raft out and inflated, get into the raft, all of these things to deal with, coupled with shock and fear. Very difficult.
It’s frightening when you take a look at survival times for a person in water without an immersion suit, women last longer than men and the figures below are rough estimates, factors such as health, injury, mental state (some people fight more than others and have greater tenancity to the issues faced) all figure in the equation.

Expected Survival Time in Cold Water





(Exhaustion or Unconsciousness first figure, survival time (in red) second)



70–80° F (21–27° C)


3–12 hours - 3 hours – indefinitely



60–70° F (16–21° C)


2–7 hours - 2–40 hours



50–60° F (10–16° C)


1–2 hours - 1–6 hours



40–50° F (4–10° C)


30–60 minutes - 1–3 hours



32.5–40° F (0–4° C)


15–30 minutes - 30–90 minutes



<32° F (<0° C)


Under 15 minutes - Under 15–45 minutes