Wilco From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 355 posts, RR: 1 Posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2018 times:
Sorry for the crash question but I am really curious if A/C life rafts have ever been succesfully used. (i.e. a plane was ditched, life rafts deployed with passengers in them, survivor(s) rescued).
I just can't stop thinking of how perfect of a ditching must be made in order for the life rafts to be accessible/undamaged AND there be survivors....
AirframeAS From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 14150 posts, RR: 26 Reply 1, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1966 times:
When flight 261 happened, the life rafts on the MD-83 never deployed over the pacific ocean. This is probably because the fuselage was so severly crushed that there was basically nothing left of the aircraft but the wings and tail section.
EDITED: There were no surviors, all 88 lost their lives. This was on AS on Jan 31, 2000.
[Edited 2004-03-08 19:06:38]
A Safe Flight Begins With Quality Maintenance On The Ground.
Sammyhostie From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1946 times:
When training as cabin crew, we had to deploy a life raft into a pool and consequently "save" all the other trainees.
Even in a relatively relaxed scenario as this it was still a very hard task, and I doubt in such a real situation occuring that a landing on water would be very hard to succesfully complete, although perhaps natural instincts and the will to live and the adrenalin would come into play.
Wilco From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1948 times:
Airframe.... you're right. But AS261 wasn't a ditching... that was impact. I am wondering if there has ever been a succesful ditching where liferafts saved lives.
OPNLguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1911 times:
There was an ALM DC-9 that ditched in the Carribean back in the 1970s, so you might want to do a search for specific details. My memory is fuzzy, but I seem to recall it being off St. Croix, and that most folks survived the ditching (after the aircraft ran out of fuel).
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 5, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1912 times:
Wasn't there an ONA DC-9 years back that ditched sucessfully in the Carribean somewhere? I know there were survivors in that case.
B747Skipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1896 times:
The ALM DC9 ditching in the 1970s was an ONA DC9-30 on ACMI to ALM...
Flight from USA to St Maarten. Destination weather was bad...
They ditched indeed, ran out of fuel and ideas...
xxx
Happy contrails -
(s) Skipper
Wilco From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1840 times:
THanks OPNL... that was helpful. I am still unclear if the aircraft's liferafts were used in that incident. (I have read other places that the liferafts that were used in this incident were airdropped by other aircraft.)
Let me be a bit more blunt with my question. Do you think the liferafts carried aboard aircraft are worth their weight?
Edited: To include pic of various aircraft life rafts.
OPNLguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 1831 times:
>>>Let me be a bit more blunt with my question. Do you think the liferafts carried aboard aircraft are worth their weight?
Along with fire extinguishers, one takes it upon faith that they are, since the only certain way to know if they are worthwile is when you actually need them, and they're either there, or they're not.
Coa764 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 328 posts, RR: 3 Reply 10, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 1782 times:
>>>Let me be a bit more blunt with my question. Do you think the liferafts carried aboard aircraft are worth their weight?
Realistically, probably not but they are one of those necessary evils. That meaning the first time you do have a ditch that made it and then everyone drowned because of the lack of rafts will be the one time to many. Survival gear on an airplane is put there in the chance that if you do get survivors, as many as one, they have a chance to do just that.
Please oh please Mr Moderator Nazi, dont delete my thread.
Chdmcmanus From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 374 posts, RR: 2 Reply 12, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1735 times:
Wilco,
In the paragraph prior it talks about the usage of a slide raft,
"The navigator found an emergency escape slide floating in the water and, with the help of a female passenger, inflated it. The first officer, who had no lifevest, climbed on top of the slide and assumed command of the main group of survivors who gathered around the slide. Belts and ties were used to provide additional hand-holds for the people."
Although none of the dedicated rafts were deployed, at least one of the slide rafts still worked.
Wilco From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1732 times:
Thanks ChD.... I skimmed right past that part. Its good to know something was of use for those folks. That story is really interesting as most of the passengers apparently thought they were landing! (not ditching) The were warned of a possible ditching but never that it was definetly going to happen.
B747Skipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 1726 times:
The major source of problem was the coordination between ONA cockpit crew and the ALM cabin staff. In this day and age, on ACMI contracts, there was very little interaction between different teams of different companies.
xxx
I have flown many such contracts. Not much communications, no CRM...
"Oh, you did ding the cabin chime 3 times, what does it mean...?"
Briefings and communications were kept to a minimum. You guys do your things, we do ours...!
xxx
Happy contrails
(s) Skipper
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