[quote]...the most notable thing in the photographs was lack of lifejackets by anyone.[/quote
The NTSB report made it clear that at no point were passengers instructed to don live vests. Ten passengers did however and seventy plus took seat cushions with them citing that the instruction to do so (and hold them by crossing their arms) had seeped into their conciousness over the years. It was also a much easier task to accomplish given the fast moving circumstances.
In terms of the efficacy of the live vests - the original question I think, the NTSB had this to say in their report
Survival factors investigators also found that passengers had significant problems in donning the life vests that were stowed under each seat.
It would appear that this difficulty was not only specific to passengers on this flight.
The NTSB concludes that the current life vest design standards contained in TSO-C13f
do not ensure that passengers can quickly or correctly don life vests. Therefore, the NTSB
recommends that the FAA revise the life vest performance standards contained in TSO-C13f to
ensure that they result in a life vest that passengers can quickly and correctly don.