Giza aka Douglas Muth's LiveJournal

While searching for "odds of a plane crash" on Google, I came across this article, which talks about surviving a plan crash -- something I find far more useful! In the article, the FAA gives the following 5 tips:

1. Count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest exit. This is because if there is a fire, the cabin will fill up quickly with smoke. Between that and walking hunched over so as not to breathe the smoke, it can be hard to tell where the exit is.

2. Read the safety card. It sounds stupid, but it's recommended anyway. It's not like it is a huge effort to read it.

3. Brace for impact. They FAA suggests that you cross your hands on the seat in front of, put your head against your hands, and hold that position until you are on the ground (or in the water). This reduces the distance your head will travel, and how much damage you suffer. Decelerating from 300 Miles per hour to 0 Miles per hour involves just a bit of force.

4. "Get the fuck out!" Not only do I get to talk trash in this rule, the language used in the rule underscores the importance of getting out of the plane quickly. In the event of a fire, according to the FAA, the seats start to emit poisonous gas after only 20 seconds. At 50 seconds, the FAA uses the lovely term "gas chamber" to describe the cabin. And at 90 seconds, a flashover happens. At nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, anyone inside WILL become a crispy critter.

5. Run like hell. After getting out, the FAA warns that, "It's going to become a very lethal environment". With thousands of gallons of burning fuel, bits of twisted and jagged metal all over the place, and an impending explosion from the flashover that's about to happen, the plane and the surrounding area is about to become a war zone. You don't want to be there.

I hope you all found this informative, or at least amusing.