Could a water landing be the best choice?
MYTHS ABOUT DITCHING AN AIRCRAFT. The prospect of landing in the water is a terrifying thought for most pilots. It is certainly a valid fear. It is an aircraft, not necessarily a boat!
As a result, certain myths and half-truths about ditching seem to persist, every pilot has read something about an aircraft vanishing in the South Pacific without a trace on a fine sunny day after a botched ditching.
In reality, ditching is one of the most survivable emergency procedures a pilot can perform. This comes from a review of ditching accidents in 1985 through 1990 and 1994 and 1996. Although survival rates vary by time of year and water body type, the overall general aviation ditching survival rate is 90 percent.
The NTSB database lists 179 ditching events from 1985-1996. They reveal several myths surrounding a ditching. Myth: Ditchings are always fatal:
Of the 179 ditchings listed, 22 (12 percent) involved fatalities. And in at least six of those events, there were one or more survivors.
4 of the fatal events included drowning or exposure. The occupants actually got out but fell to drowning or exposure.
Location and season are also a factor. A majority of the fatal incidents happened during the winter in cold or temperate climates.
Myth: When entering the water, aircraft nose under and sink like a submarine.
A reasonable approach and landing in the water does not cause the aircraft to automatically dive under. In fair weather and low surf conditions, it is reasonable to expect the aircraft to remain afloat.
Myth: The Airplane Wont Float Long Enough for Everyone To Get Out An aircraft that remains intact after landing, can float for a decently long period of time. Conventional wisdom does teach to get out (with survival equipment and supplies) as quickly as possible, but often the aircraft can float for several days. The emergency exits are designed to be above the water line while floating and you should have time to launch a raft and get everyone out.
Myth: A Raft, Survival Suit and Other Equipment Is Required to Survive a Ditching Its difficult or impossible to tell from the accident summaries how well the pilots and crews are equipped for overwater flight. In our estimation, however, most pilots are poorly equipped. Some carry personal flotation devices (PFD), far fewer carry rafts and other survival gear. In 179 accidents, we found PFDs mentioned five times and rafts mentioned four times.
Yet as the overall record shows, pilots somehow muddle through anyway. This is certainly due in part to the fact that the majority of ditchings, 64 percent, occur in inshore waters – along an ocean beach, in a sheltered bay not far from land or even a lake, river, pond or canal. Many of these ditching sites are within sight of land or boats and the egressing pilots and crew are able to swim to shore or are quickly picked up by helpful boaters.
But is swimming for it really a good idea? Logically, we would say no but the record suggests the opposite may sometimes be true, depending on the circumstances. In 13 of the 179 ditchings, pilots and crew successfully rescued themselves by swimming to shore or, in two cases, oil platforms. In five cases, occupants attempting to swim for it drowned or succumbed to exposure, although other occupants from the same aircraft survived.
If there’s any pattern to any of these ditchings, it emerges at this juncture: Eight of the 179 ditchings involved banner tow pilots who put it into the drink off a beach, extricated themselves and swam or waded ashore. Everyone survived, leading us to the conclusion that even though the touchdown may be violent and unpleasant, surviving it well enough to swim for it is highly likely.
Emergency Evacuations 46
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