A question about evacuations
Perhaps a slightly unusual question from a passenger, but could someone explain to me what the 'order of events' is in the immediate stages of an evacuation? Don't want to discuss the merits/problems of one, that's been done elsewhere. Am just interested to know the logistics of it.
Let's say that the aircraft is taxiing to/from the runway and the captain decides to evacuate the aircraft. There is nothing discernible to the passengers in the cabin that an evacuation will be ordered. Everything 'seems' normal, then one is ordered. What happens?
1) Would the first thing that we, passengers, hear in the cabin be the captain making the evacuation call over the PA system?
2) Is this the type of wording that is used: 'This is the captain. This is the captain. This is an emergency. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. [Left/right-side only])?
3) Or would we (or rather those that notice) hear the engines being shut down first?
4) Are the seat-belt signs switched off? (Not that people observe them anyway, especially in the case of an evacuation I imagine!).
5) Sometimes the flight deck PAs are barely audible (at least on my last flight, I had to strain my ear to the speaker). Can I take it you use a pretty loud voice to avoid such an issue?
Last edited by Nicholas49; 4th Jun 2012 at 15:49.