There are some facts about airplane accidents that you may not know.
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Following the disappearance of Flight MH370 and the shooting down of Flight MH17, we were still reeling from the shock when a Taiwanese plane recently crashed due to severe weather. These recent incidents may leave many people anxious and fearful of flying. However, the actual probability of an airplane accident is only about 0.00001%.
1. The Probability of an Airplane Accident is 0.00001%
Professor Jeff Rosenthal has calculated that the probability of an airplane encountering an accident is 0.00001%, which is certainly good news for frequent flyers. If you were to take a flight every day, on average, you would need to fly for about 10,000 years before experiencing an airplane accident. Even if an airplane accident were to occur, not all passengers are likely to perish. Thus, the probability of dying from flying is even lower than 1 in 11 million.
In fact, the probability of getting into an accident while taking a taxi to the airport is 5,000 times higher than that of experiencing an airplane accident. The chances of a commercial airplane being shot down by missile fire are also extremely low. The MH17 incident was the 13th time a commercial airplane has been attacked since 1980. When an aircraft flying with a speed of 800 km/h is attacked by a missile, it has no chance of defending itself. Therefore, there is no probability that passengers can survive such attacks.
2. The First 90 Seconds of a Plane Crash are Known as the “Golden Time”
The “Golden Time” refers to the crucial period you have to escape from a burning airplane if you want to survive, or at least have a chance to survive. In this minute and a half, if the passenger cabin catches fire, temperatures can rise to levels that the human body cannot withstand.
“This is also a very important period where, to survive, passengers must remain calm and take decisive action,” says aviation accident expert Ben Sherwood. “You could suffocate from smoke, so use the oxygen masks that drop down in emergencies. However, if you can’t escape the plane within 90 seconds, you will die from heat.”
3. The Safest Seats are at the Back of the Plane
Seats at the back of the plane are often not favored by passengers because they are cramped, near the restroom, and you will be the last to exit the aircraft. However, statistics from airlines indicate that passengers sitting in the rear have the highest survival rate.
Studies from the 1970s onwards show that passengers who do not remain seated have the highest fatality rates, followed by crew members at the front of the plane, then passengers in the front, with those sitting at the back having the highest survival rates. However, this is only statistical data from airlines; in reality, situations may arise where the tail of the plane breaks off, directly threatening the lives of those sitting at the back.
4. You Can Survive a Mid-Air Explosion with a Bit of Luck
According to information from Popular Mechanics, if an airplane explodes at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, you still have a chance to survive, with a bit of luck. If you could choose, landing in swamps would be a good hope, and thick layers of snow also provide a high chance of survival. Falling from that height into water would certainly be fatal, as hitting the water would be like hitting concrete.
When falling from the air, the best position is to face down with your arms and legs spread out to slow your descent, mimicking what parachutists do.