How to Survive a Plane Crash

Who hasn’t boarded a commercial airline flight and wondered what would happen if the plane were to meet some catastrophe before reaching its destination?

It’s a common wonder among air travelers, even as they busy themselves ignoring the safety demonstration or video. 

But, first things first—to borrow a phrase from a famous American Airlines safety video—it’s worth mentioning that the odds of being in a plane crash are miniscule. December 2023 marked 14 years without a major hull loss accident in the United States (a “hull loss” means an accident so severe the aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair). That’s a safety record unequaled in the history of aviation, especially considering heavier-than-air flight is just barely over a century old, and as recently as the late 20th century hull loss accidents weren’t entirely uncommon. 

But what should passengers do in order to ensure their survival in the event of a survivable accident? Read on for some tips. 

Listen and Learn

Even if you’ve heard the safety demo or video before, pay attention. Not only is it frequently updated (the latest versions remind passengers not to attempt to recline their seat if they lose their phone in case it might crush it and cause a battery leak), but it points out some of the differences between aircraft, and offer some always-helpful reminders, like the fact that passengers are required by law to comply with crewmember instructions. 

Check the Exits

In a survivable accident (let’s face it—some of them aren’t) a positive outcome usually hinges on a passenger’s ultimately being able to evacuate the aircraft safely. The most important aid to doing this is knowing where the exits are. Upon sitting down, count the number of rows to the nearest exit, and the nearest alternative—and just like the safety demonstration advises, keep in mind the nearest ones may be behind you. 

The reason for this is to save seconds in an evacuation—knowing exactly where you’re going, particularly if disoriented in a cabin that may be dark, smoky, upside down, or partially destroyed will make egress easier. Take 30 seconds to check the emergency card, take mental note of exit locations, and visualize the paths to the exits in advance. If the cabin is dark, there will be floor path lighting to guide your way, but it doesn’t have any way of indicating which exit is closer—you have to figure that out on your own.

If you’re seated next to an exit, make a mental note of how it operates, keeping in mind they vary slightly from aircraft to aircraft. On some Boeing 737s, for example, the overwing exits open inwards toward the passenger cabin, while on newer models, they pop outwards and up. Larger doors also vary—sometimes they open in, then pivot and turn out, sometimes they disappear into the ceiling, sometimes they open in then slide out sideways. Don’t worry—it’s all in the safety card. You read that, right?

Know How to Brace

This is also in the safety card, but it’s important in the event a crash is imminent. Crewmembers will instruct you to brace, but you likely won’t have time to consult the safety card again if it happens quickly. 

If you have enough room to put your head between your knees, do that, and put your hands behind your head to hold it down, but don’t interlock your fingers. Keep your elbows to the side, but don’t rest them on your knees, otherwise they’ll dig into your knees on impact. If you don’t have enough room to put your head down, rest it on the seat in front of you and put your arms around the headrest. If you’re in an aft-facing seat, rest your head back against the headrest, with your arms at your side.

The brace position reduces flailing, which causes injury and increases the possibility of being struck by debris, and it protects the head and torso against blunt force injury from impact.

Know When to Go

If an evacuation becomes necessary, the Captain (or another crewmember if they’re unreachable) will call for an evacuation using the public address system. If the crew does not initiate an evacuation, passengers shouldn’t evacuate themselves until they’re faced with an immediate threat to their safety, such as smoke, fire or the aircraft cabin being compromised.

Sometimes, this means overcoming what’s called “normalcy bias.” This is a cognitive bias that causes people to downplay threats—even if they’re obvious. Survivors of one accident in 1977 reported evacuating past uninjured passengers who appeared to act as though nothing was wrong, even though the aircraft had been largely destroyed and was on fire. Overcome normalcy bias by maintaining situational awareness. If something seems abnormal, stay alert.

Because you’ll need to hear crew members give safety commands, shed those headphones at the first sign of anything amiss.

Leave Everything

In an emergency, you have roughly 90 seconds to get out of the aircraft cabin safely. In fact, the FAA requires that commercial aircraft be able to evacuate a full cabin in less than 90 seconds with half the exits blocked. Taking along bags would make that impossible, and bags could injure other passengers or impede their access toward exits in an evacuation. 

With that in mind, necessary items like photo ID and mobile phones should be kept on your person during takeoff and landing, because they’re easily forgotten if tucked into a carryon or if you end up separated from your carryon by the emergency. Even in situations where the aircraft remains largely intact, items left onboard can’t be retrieved until they’re released by investigators—meaning it could be days or weeks without your phone or wallet if you don’t have it in your pocket when you evacuate. 

You’ll also need your shoes to evacuate, so if you’re in the habit of kicking them off during the flight, wait until several minutes after takeoff, and be sure to slip them back on when the flight attendants prepare the cabin for arrival. 

The Takeaway

Maintain situational awareness, pay attention to the safety briefing and crew member instructions, and keep yourself ready for a quick exit—even though the chances of being in an airplane crash are so miniscule you’re unlikely to ever have to actually use any of these tips.