Survival lessons from an airplane accident

by Jim Irvine

Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Saturday, July 6, 2013. Early reports indicate that two teen girls have died, at least 182 people are injured, as many as 49 of those critically. Much of the airplane cabin burned. The passenger area suffered extensive damage. We will not speculate on the cause of the accident, but there are already some valuable lessons to be learned.

Lesson #1 – Things can change quickly

I doubt any of those people thought they would be in an airplane accident when they woke up that morning, went to the airport, boarded the plane, or flew across the ocean. Moments before the accident, everything was normal. But in an instant, things changed from normal to life-threatening. The same is true for many of us every day. The odds of being a victim of violence, even in the "safe" neighborhoods, is thousands of times more likely than being in an airline accident.

Lesson #2 – You are responsible for your own life

All commercial airports in the U.S. are required to have Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) available in case of an accident. SFO has class I ARFF services, the highest level of ability. SFO has an ARFF index of E, the highest level, indicating they are prepared to deal with aircraft over 200 feet in length. Of 546 commercial airports in the U.S. only 27 are class I, with an E ARFF index. SFO firefighting capabilities are the best of the best.

From the SF FD web site (http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=44):

The airport division has 95 employees and staffs three (3) fire stations. "The Airport's Suppression members staff four (4) Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Vehicles, which are commonly referred to as ARFF Units. These vehicles provide the Airport's primary response to incidents involving aircraft and/or fuel. Three (3) of the ARFF Units are capable of deploying 4,500 gallons of foam each. The fourth ARFF Unit has a capability of deploying 3,000 gallons of water & foam. The Airport Division also staffs two (2) Engines, one (1) Truck, two (2) Paramedic Units, and a Command Unit."

The event happened during daylight hours, on a sunny day, with no rain, fog, strong wind, or other complicating factors. Tower controllers witnessed the event and immediately deployed all available resources to the airplane. You are unlikely to get a better response from emergency services anywhere.

After the accident, there was a limited opportunity to escape further injury or death. Even with the awesome response, a majority of people would have died if they had just sat there and "waited for the professionals to handle it." That is an insane idea on an airplane, or in a school, or anywhere else.

Know how to exit any vehicle, building, structure, or area you enter. Have a plan ahead of time, because when the emergency happens, you need to move quickly.

Lesson #3 – Preparation is not paranoia

Listening to flight attendant briefings prepares people for an emergency. Knowing where the nearest exit door is, both in front of and behind you, and how to open them is critical to survival. Having a seat belt properly fastened around you reduces the likelihood of injury and death in an accident. Having smoke detectors reduces the chance of death in a house fire. Having a gun available to you during a criminal attack reduces the chance of death and injury during the attack.

Lesson #4 – Tools matter

According to Fox News, firefighters doused the flames that burned through the fuselage with foam and water, and police officers on the ground threw utility knives up to crew members so they could cut the seat belts of those who remained trapped as rescue crews removed the injured.

When you ban knives, you prevent people from being able to use them to save others. When you prohibit bad people from having tools, bad people still do bad things. When you prohibit good people from having tools, you restrict the amount of good those people can do, because they don’t have the right tool for the job. When we look at all the buildings where mass killings have happened, we find that they are all “gun free zones” or more properly named, “victim zones.” Without the tools to fight back, the killing continues longer, and more people die. How much worse are the burn victims because the flight crew was waiting for police to toss up knives so they could assist their passengers?

Note: Flight crews have the exact same restrictions on bringing "weapons" onto planes as the passengers. There is a crash ax in the cockpit and corkscrew and ice breaker in the galley, but pilots and flight attendants are prohibited from bringing knives or screwdrivers with them on the plane. These restrictions even apply to Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDO's) who are authorized to carry a gun on-board.

Lesson #5 – Life is fragile

Airplane accidents garner national attention and endless hours of "news" coverage. But violence is far more common. In 2011 (the last year for which full data are available) the FBI reports an estimated 1,203,564 violent crimes were reported. There were 14,612 murders and 83,425 forcible rapes reported to law enforcement that year. Prepare for the worst, because you don’t know when or where you will encounter it.

Lesson #6 – We can learn and improve our safety

We study bad events and we make changes. Since the 1950s, commercial flying has increased dramatically. Even with this increase in flying, we have also seen dramatic reductions in accidents and fatalities. We have made many activities safer through studying and learning from tragedies.

In aviation it is said that "all our rules are written in blood." It is a reference to the lessons and procedures we have learned through the death of others. Tragic yes, but much better than never learning. Through the FASTER program, Buckeye Firearms Foundation is seeking to use the same methodology that has been used to reduce aviation-related deaths in order to reduce violence-related deaths among our school children.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the Asiana accident, as well as their families and friends.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and recipient of the NRA-ILA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award" and the CCRKBA's 2012 "Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award."