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Two U.S. senators want the FAA to rearrange aircraft evacuation procedures in accordance with real-life conditions
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators want the Federal Aviation Administration to rewrite aircraft evacuation standards by taking into account real-life conditions. Existing regulation proposes that airlines must be able to evacuate passengers within 90 seconds but make no reference to cabin capacity. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...
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Evac is based on full flights, Pax can read and observe where their closest exit is, ( or follow the exit lighting), I be in favour of locking overhead bins for t/o & landing, No bags allowed to stick out from under the seat, I’m all for a sizer like used for carry on,( if your ass won’t fit in this seat, buy another one), those that panic & freeze will get thrown out of the aircraft “very quickly”…….by the other passengers. BTW larger aircraft have more exits. Based on statistics. the sudden stop from a great height in an airliner it won’t matter much how big you are or where the exits are?
Yes they are always done with full pax did them many years back. Last one was on the 747 mock up at Boeing Field. The others were a Super Connie and a DC7. The killer problem these days are those who want to get stuff out of the overhead bins. It has caused problems several times.
The problem is that the tests are run with manufacturer and airline employees. They are fit, focused, and have a clear understanding of what to do. There are no injuries or confusion, nobody tries to grab their precious carryon, and everything is pretty orderly.
It’s pretty clear that the tests that have been conducted in no way represent real world scenarios.
It’s pretty clear that the tests that have been conducted in no way represent real world scenarios.
The manufacturer test used to be done with people off the street. But due to injuries during the test the rules were changes to make the test itself safer.
Actually, the last one was just a couple of years back here at the FAA Field in Oklahoma City. Here is how they work, they notify folks who would like to participate and take them to the retired 747 they have at Will Rogers. Normal instructions are given and then Evac drills are run by the Human Factor folks over there. I forget the Dr name of who was in charge. I usually visit the center about 3 times a month next time I'm over there I will get the details of their last data test with Oklahoma residents and see how, or what, details they can provide. Our company deals with the FAA here in Oklahoma City daily so I get to learn a great deal about the Human Factor studies they conduct.
Out of curiosity, how do they try to factor in disabled passengers in drills to make it representative? Is the volunteer pool large enough to select for a typical or critical pax load?
When I did them (as a simulated passenger) we had certain individuals who had to roleplay various disabilities. We also had simulated infants (dolls) that certain participants were responsible for.
Roleplay in no way will reflect true disabilities. Unless you actually are disabled you will miss subtleties that will greatly affect the test.
Airlines are operating full flights.
Passengers have difficulty finding their row/seat during boarding, will they find the exits during evacuation?
There will be those that try to take their overstuffed roll-aboard bags with them.
Some larger passengers have to difficulty walking down the aisle during boarding and deplaning. How could they
slow down the evacuation process?
There are those that will panic and freeze up, raising anxiety for all involved.