"In the Unlikely Event of ?"

“In the Unlikely Event of ?”

Mark Phelps

Thursday, July 03, 2008 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Prepare for a water landing by anticipating severe disorientation, cold, wet conditions, and inability to see or know which way is up, even on lakes or rivers.
After impact, keep seatbelts on until the aircraft stops, then open your pre-identified exit; remain calm if the cabin fills with water and take a deep breath before exiting.
Critically, use a predesignated handhold to "walk" hand-over-hand and foot-over-foot along a planned path to the exit, keeping your feet on the floor, rather than attempting to swim.

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With the coming long holiday weekend, and summer flying in general, it’s a safe bet that the amount of over-water flying increases manifold. The risk of a water landing is remote, but engines do fail. So it’s worth investing the thought ahead of time to scope out what you’d do … IF. And don’t discount the possibility of a water landing if you live far from one of the coasts, or if you make it a practice never to venture offshore. A lake or river might be the only visible flat spot — especially at night — should the engine suddenly suffer from terminal silence.

For me, the enduring takeaway from a water-survival exercise a few years ago was the simple part. Assume that when the banging and thrashing stops, you will be really, really scared, cold and wet; and you will not be able to see. If the airplane is right side up, it will be a total coincidence. Even then, you will likely not be able to tell which way is up.