How not to evacuate a plane

[wiggy]

Thanks....

[Ancient Mariner]

After reading all 80 posts, I wonder how many of you have been in an actual emergency, and how you would act in one outside your "professional" comfort zone?
That's where we SLF are.
Per

[wiggy]

I wonder how many of you have been in an actual emergency,

Me sir! me!...actually more than one .....and looking back at at least one them if those involved had simply panicked, everybody would have been farked...now with that out of the way...

and how you would act in one outside your "professional" comfort zone?

Try and follow the advice of any trained professionals on the scene....I rather assumed the same applied at sea?

( I still get the impression that some here, though not you AM, think "airline crewmember" and "trained professional" are a contradiction in terms...then they get upset when things get heated...)

[KenV]

Originally Posted by Gauges and Dials

Sweeping statements like this are almost always wrong. I can think of dozens of scenarios in which a passenger is right to commence an emergency evac. Two off the top of my head:

1. Plane on stand; engines off; pax sitting near rear exit; hijacker racing toward cockpit; hijacker not yet in control of aircraft; crew all busy with hijacker.
2. Plane on stand; engines off; rapidly spreading fire breaks out two rows ahead of passenger who is seated at emergency exit...

Hmmmmmm.

So out of the "dozens of scenarios you could think of" you chose two where it's WRONG to initiate your own evac!

How so? In the above scenarios the doors are almost certainly not armed. Do you know how to initiate slide inflation of an unarmed door? Do you "jump for it" without a slide? Do you encourage other passengers to exit with you? Do you encourage them to "jump for it" with you? Do you scream and shout, make a run for the rear doors, fight the crew stationed there so you can open an unarmed door, and generally cause a panic among the other passengers? Did you overlook a crew member and by your actions you prevent that crew member from assisting the others in taking down the hijacker? Do you know if there are other hijackers present and by your actions YOU could be mistaken for another hijacker? Did the "rapidly spreading fire" in the cabin get in from outside? Is the side you've chosen to exit the aircraft engulfed in flames and by opening the exit on that side you've made a bad situation much much worse? I could go on, but you get the point.

[DirtyProp]

Originally Posted by Gauges and Dials

That's an awfully high horse you're on there, Captain; the folks in the back are not military under your command, they are ordinary people who behave as ordinary people behave.

Human beings sometimes do things which turn out to be irrational and counterproductive. It's part of who we are.

In this particular case, it would appear that the passengers behaved according to human nature, to their detriment.

High horse? Seriously?
So, let me get this straight: the pax claims his/her "human" right to take matters into his/her own hands and play Hero of the Day but when things go sour he/she refuses the responsibilities and consequences of his/her own actions?
Well, ain't that awfully convenient.
For the third time: who's gonna take responsibility for those serious injuries? The carrier or those ordinary, sensitive pax which behaved like cattle?

[wiggy]

Ken

Good post, but what do we know about the subject...but probably completely pointless in a world where a lot of folks imagine themselves acting out the role of John McClane....

[Bergerie1]

KenV,

You are right, and there are even more scenarios I could offer where a passenger, perhaps with the best of intentions, may get it wrong. These things are rather more complicated than the average person may realise.

Please leave it to the professionals who will have discussed these issues endlessly and who will have practised how to assess the situation, to open the doors and to activate the slides.

Yes - of course the professional crew may get it wrong - but the untrained passenger is far, far more likely to make a major mistake and kill people.

[Ancient Mariner]

Originally Posted by wiggy

Me sir! me!...actually more than one .....and looking back at at least one them if those involved had simply panicked, everybody would have been farked...now with that out of the way...



Try and follow the advice of any trained professionals on the scene....I rather assumed the same applied at sea?

( I still get the impression that some here, though not you AM, think "airline crewmember" and "trained professional" are a contradiction in terms...then they get upset when things get heated...)

It does apply at sea, the problem is when people panic. Listening to trained professional is suddenly not at priority any longer. Fires, perceived or real, can do strange things to a person's mind.
I've seen it happen, even to people who trained fire fighting on a weekly basis. At times reality sucks.
Per

[RAT 5]

I was told a story 30 years ago.

Scandinavian Caravelle lining up for takeoff. I can't remember the outside weather, but as thrust changes were made white vapour started to descend from the cabin ceiling.
It became quite thick, but, as we all know what is was (frost from aircon) there was no hot smell.
But in the dimmed cabin it looked like smoke.
Pax at the overwing had the hatches open just as PF was about to launch.
Fortunately the sharp cabin crew managed to alert the captain to STOP.

Ouch.

[Gauges and Dials]

For the statistics fans:

1: what percentage of airline passengers ignore reasonable instructions and pop an exit when they shouldn't?

2: what percentage of ATPs deliberately crash their aircraft, killing all on board?

As long as #2 is larger than #1 (which it is, by a lot) perhaps all of us could quit with the "cattle" comments etc?

Anecdotes and the law if small numbers and all that...

[Gauges and Dials]

Originally Posted by DirtyProp

So, let me get this straight: the pax claims his/her "human" right to take matters into his/her own hands and play Hero of the Day but when things go sour he/she refuses the responsibilities and consequences of his/her own actions?

How can you possibly interpret anything I have written as being even remotely equivalent to that position?

For the third time: who's gonna take responsibility for those serious injuries? The carrier or those ordinary, sensitive pax which behaved like cattle?

Our legal system is not without its flaws, but I believe that, on balance, a court hearing from witnesses who were there would,more often than not, make the right call.
I an not privy to the facts and would not presume to make that call from my armchair

[Herod]

OK; a couple of points. Has it said anywhere what the level of smoke was? A mere whiff of exhaust, or a complete filling of the cabin with smoke?

Secondly, let's get off this mutual slagging between the passengers and the crew. It's been suggested that pax are so accustomed to airline staff being deceitful and untrustworthy, so why trust the PA? How about "Ladies and gentlemen, your captain. Your attention please..."?

[DirtyProp]

I an not privy to the facts and would not presume to make that call from my armchair

Fair point.
I realized I jumped the gun. Apologies, everyone.