SEAL Survival Guide (19 page)

 Where are your two closest escape routes? Say it to yourself: “Back, four rows, right.” Or “Forward, three rows, left.” Repeat it several times.

Start your mental movie in real time by observing every exit as you pass it. Once you get to your seat, immediately find your two closest exits. If you’re sitting in an exit row, study the door and make sure you know how to open it. Learn the door’s particular operating procedures carefully. In normal circumstances, the flight attendant will open the door, but if the attendants are dead or injured, you’ll need to do it.

Be ready. Whenever the plane is below ten thousand feet, which is normally the first five and last ten minutes of the flight (although this time could be longer if the plane is kept in an extended midair holding pattern near the destination airport), you should be in full alert mode. This is when pilot error, mechanical failures, and varying environmental factors, from wind shear to birds, cause crashes. During takeoff and landing, be fully prepared to respond quickly to any emergency condition.

Impact: Brace Yourself!

Let’s face it: There’s not much that you can do here but be alert. Throughout the flight, but especially during takeoff and landing, keep your seat belt securely fastened. The seat belt should be placed as low as possible, at the upper part of your pelvis, and not across your stomach.

If the crew has issued a crash alert, or you just know your plane is going down, brace yourself. The primary function of a proper brace position is simply to place yourself firmly against whatever is in front of you, such that when the sudden deceleration causes you to be thrown forward, you’re already in contact with whatever it is you would hit. In a plane, you want to brace against the seat in front of you. If the plane has a video screen, don’t brace against that surface. Rather, position your head above or below it. (Lower is generally better.)

The secondary function of a brace position is to stop your limbs and head from flailing about and hitting things during the violent
motion of the crash. You want to wrap your head in your arms, tightly clasping your hands and fingers together. If you have a pillow, blanket, or other potential padding handy, use it as a cushion between you and any nearby hard surfaces that you may strike during impact.

The reason you always see flight attendants making sure that all seats are in an upright position during landing and takeoff is to limit casualties and additional injury upon impact. There are two ways to practice and prepare to brace yourself properly.

THE CROSS-ARM BRACE POSITION

Grab the back of the seat in front of you with one hand. Then cross the other hand over the first hand to also grab the back of the seat. Place your head in the compacted triangle that you have created with crossed hands. This method is better than lacing your fingers and covering your head, but this is only effective if the seat in front of you is close enough to reach without loosening your seat belt.

THE BEND-AND-TUCK BRACE POSITION

If the seat in front of you is out of reach or you have a bulkhead before you, then lean forward. Place your chest to your thighs, and put
your head between your knees. Reach down with your hands and grab each opposite ankle, or place your hands behind your head to protect the back of your neck.

For both bracing methods, make sure your feet remain flat on the floor and farther back than your knees. You’ll need your feet to be intact and be the least likely body part to sustain injury in order to aid in your swift evacuation.

Postimpact

Congratulations! You survived the impact . . . but it ain’t over until it’s over. Remember: If the plane has crash-landed and is somewhat intact, more die from the aftermath, primarily from fire and smoke inhalation, than from the impact.

PULL THE TRIGGER—GET OUT!

Time is now of the utmost essence. If there is fire or smoke, you will probably have no more than two minutes to save your life. You must now draw on the situational awareness you practiced while entering the plane. Remember, the plane could be lopsided or even upside down. The emergency lighting may not be working. But if you counted the rows of seats from the exit door, for example, you have a plan for escape and know the direction you need to go. In general, fuel is stored in the vicinity of the wings or toward the rear of the craft. The best way to escape fire is by moving toward the front portion of the plane.

FINDING THE BEST EXIT

Unfortunately, the closest exit may not be the best. It could be blocked with debris or be where a fire awaits outside. Exit doors are usually placed in tandem, opposite each other, with one on each side of the airplane. If you see one as more dangerous, then cross over and make for the exit door on the other side.

Once you reach the exit door, do not shove others out of your way. An orderly evacuation will create less confusion and save more lives. Urge those around you to remain calm and keep a line in order, if possible. However, do not allow delay caused by a passenger who is locked up with shock, or “frozen,” to block the exit route. These people need to be physically pushed down an inflated slide, for example. When you make it to the front of the exit line, immediately disembark the plane. Do not wait for the person in front of you to clear the slide before taking your turn. Do not sit on the edge of the door and gently lever yourself onto the slide; you are not a child trying a playground chute for the first time. Do not pause, but continue moving through the door, jumping out and onto the slide. You’ve pulled the trigger, so act!