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Escape Clauses

Air Safety Week, March 19, 2007

A Lesson In Leaving

Investigators are learning that the front left exit of an Indonesian plane that crashed last week didn't open after landing, preventing some of the passengers from escaping.

"Most survivors were from economy class. They exited from the back left door, while some passengers, including a few from the front seats, used the left over-wing exits," Frans Wenas, a senior investigator at the National Transport Safety Commission, told the local press. Many business-class passengers were among those trapped inside when fire engulfed the plane.

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"Our findings showed the plane had been damaged after hitting a dyke," Wenas said. "The hinges of the front door were broken. Smoke entered from the front right side. Everything became dark after smoke gushed in, so they tried to find whatever exits that could be seen."

A 737-400 has eight emergency exits, but this availability is easily halved by fire and or smoke eliminating exits on one side due to the relative wind. Further exits can be lost due to fuselage distortion on impact.

Perhaps the briefing card should read, in regards to the fatal emergency exit glitch outlined above:

"In the event of a takeoff or landing accident, you can follow the battery-operated floor exit lights to the nearest exit. However, first look for a pulsing GREEN strobe light that will mark exits that have already been opened by the cabin crew and are available for a safe, prompt exit, as some doors or escape hatches may have become distorted or jammed and may be unable to be opened.

Cabin crew will check external conditions (relative wind and its effect upon any outside flames resulting from fuel spillage) before opening an exit- way. The strobe-lights have a proven capability to penetrate quite dense smoke and be visible from at least 50 feet in most conditions. Prompt evacuation, leaving all hand-luggage behind, is critical whenever smoke or flames are evident following any significant impact."

It's worth noting that, by the book, after impact during a landing emergency, a flight attendant (F/A) will:

1. Remain in brace position until a complete stop (several impacts are possible).

2. Turn on Emergency Lights (L1 position). (This may not have been possible.)

3. Wait for Command from Cockpit; if no word and situation requires evac, initiate evac.

4. Shout emergency commands.

5. If pax panic, shout assertive commands.

6. Assess condition, feel for heat and look out window. Look for fire or obvious structural damage that could be hazardous for slide/raft deployment.

7. If exit is usable, open door.

If obstacles or severe fire hazards are seen, F/As should NOT inflate the slide. Observing the crash image at tinyurl.com/2qln88, the RH wing stub lies on top of the LH wing. If the F/A had seen that, would she deploy the slide? No, because if that catches fire, you're in extra trouble because it would be fuel to feed the fire even nearer to the door, hence blocking the last few exits.

So, after looking outside, the F/A disarmed the slide and opened the door. Hence, in the photo, the "slide armed tape" is still hanging.

It's becoming further apparent that overhead lockers should be designed to be auto-lockable prior to landing/takeoff and only unlocked when the aircraft reaches the terminal (or at least has cleared the runway). It appears that many passengers who successfully escaped did so with their locker-stored hand luggage.

However, their delay and obstruction of aisles led to those further forward in flight GA200 being eventually unable to see (or get to) an exit further aft before the series of explosions wracked the aircraft and the ensuing fire and smoke disabled their opportunity to escape.

If passenger briefing cards/video briefings were to advise that the overhead lockers would be locked from top of descent until the aircraft is at the terminal, passengers might re-prioritize their agendas to promptly getting off the airplane -- once a post-landing emergency evacuation is the clear priority.

Government Industry

Escape Clauses

Air Safety Week, March 19, 2007

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