Yes, people can feel pain in a plane crash, but in high-impact crashes, the brain's extreme stress response (adrenaline surge, shock) can dull or prevent pain perception in the final moments, with pain experienced more significantly in survivable situations or afterward, depending on the severity of injuries like fractures, burns, and internal trauma.
The reality is that in a high impact scenario the brain does not have the time to process the feeling of pain or fear for long. But do victims remain conscious before the plane caught fire. When the aircraft hits, the brain suffers severe physical trauma.
Official statistics also offer some comfort. U.S. government data revealed that 95.7 percent of the passengers involved in airplane accidents between 1983 and 2000 survived.
They remain calm (at least on the outside), because they are trained. Training kicks in and you just do what you were trained to do. You might be scared, but the fear does not overwhelm you and keep you from doing what you have to. Once, I was on ...
Seats are laid out with economy at the rear, business class in the middle, and first class toward the front of the plane. While crashes are incredibly rare, in general, sitting toward the aisle at the back of the plane near an emergency exit is the safest choice.
Clunky boots, sky-high heels and slippery soles can slow you down, trip up others or (worst of all) pop the inflatable escape slide. Yes, stilettos can literally deflate your shot at survival. No pressure. “High heels aren't allowed during emergency evacuations—we'll make you go barefoot instead,” Eksteine-Nizka says.
She argues that landings are riskier than takeoffs due to fewer escape options. “It's a really critical moment, especially for midair collisions and other incidents,” Schiavo emphasized. “When you're taking off, you have the runway in front of you.
An accident would not show up with the word “accident” in the flight tracker. The track would show something like an arrival of “n/a”. There more than likely would be a posting here in the forum regarding the accident. If it's an airline flight then it would more than likely be in the media.
Pilot error is the number one cause of aviation accidents. Piloting an aircraft requires lengthy training, a knowledge of the mechanical components of an aircraft, and hand-eye coordination skills to effectively and safely maneuver an aircraft. Pilots also have to think ahead.
The 3:1 rule in aviation is a rule of thumb for descent planning: for every 1,000 feet of altitude to lose, you need 3 nautical miles (NM) of horizontal distance, assuming a standard 3-degree glide path, making it easy to calculate when to start descending. For example, to descend 6,000 feet, a pilot starts descending 18 NM out (6 x 3 = 18). It helps maintain a consistent descent rate, critical for passenger comfort in older planes and for fuel efficiency in modern jets, and aligns with standard approach systems like ILS/VASI.
Airline crash victims may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. When the cause of an airline crash is due to the negligence of the pilot(s), crew, or plane defects caused by improper maintenance procedures, punitive damages may also be awarded to victims.
3. "Plus Three / Minus Eight" -- In aviation lingo this refers to the first three minutes of your plane ride and the last eight. It's during these 11 in-flight minutes that 80 percent of all plane crashes occur. So this is the time to pay extra close attention and be alert.
At just 17 years old, Juliane Koepcke survived the impossible. On Christmas Eve 1971, her plane, LANSA Flight 508, was struck by lightning over the Amazon rainforest, breaking apart mid-air. Strapped to her seat, Juliane plummeted over 10,000 feet to the ground and 1/2.
This reflex is a natural, instinctive reaction to sudden stimuli, but in high-anxiety situations like turbulence on a plane, it can lead to uncoordinated or delayed responses. By physically sitting on their hands, flight attendants ground themselves, maintaining composure and focus when it matters most.
The odds of a commercial airplane crashing are approximately 0.000001%. You have a 1 in 816,545,929 chance of being killed in a plane crash. To put it into perspective, you have a better chance of winning a Powerball jackpot.
Is the plane actually dropping at all when you feel this? Surprisingly, it's the opposite. “In reality,” Lane says, “the aircraft is still climbing—just at a shallower angle and with less engine noise. The combination of reduced pitch, quieter engines and changing g-forces creates the illusion of descent.”
The deliberate crashes of the aforementioned American Airlines Flight 11, as well as United Airlines Flight 175 at the World Trade Center, and the subsequent collapse of both towers on 11 September 2001 caused 2,606 ground fatalities in addition to the deaths of the 157 people on board both flights, making it the ...
Crashes shortly after takeoff are typically the result of rare, rapidly evolving scenarios where even a small failure can cascade, especially if it coincides with environmental stress or human error.
A 2017 National Transportation Safety Board study that investigated 20 plane crashes since 1971 found that those sitting in the back of the plane had a higher chance of staying alive than those in the front. Additionally, those placed nearby the wing also had a better chances of survival.
In aviation, squawk code 7700 is the universal transponder setting for a general emergency, immediately alerting Air Traffic Control (ATC) that an aircraft needs urgent assistance, similar to a "Mayday" call, used for issues like engine failure, medical emergencies, or onboard fires, making it a high-priority target for controllers. Other emergency codes include 7500 (hijacking) and 7600 (radio failure).
This chart from Boeing breaks a 90-minute flight into phases — from the moment the aircraft is on the ground, to when it lands. And here's what it shows — most fatal crashes happen in the first few minutes after takeoff, and the final moments before landing.
With calm background conditions, the lift over the airplane's wings is smooth and constant. But as the plane travels through areas of rising and sinking motion in the surrounding environment, the lift on the wings is interrupted or enhanced. This can cause the plane to lift or drop suddenly.
“According to my experience, the best time to fly is between 4 am and 7 am," says Alexandra Dubakova, a travel advisor with Freetour who has flown more than 50 times this year. "I never encountered a single delay in 10 years in this window as opposed to 6 pm to 10 pm, when two out of three flights were delayed."
The middle seat at the back of the plane was found to be the safest with a 28% fatality rate, while the worst was the middle aisle seat with a 44% fatality rate.
Turbulence during the middle of a long haul flight . Especially when you are in the middle of nowhere or water. Having turbulence during take off or landing is “expected” but during hour 7 on a 12 hour flight? Always think the worst is about to happen.