What would you take with you when evacuating a plane on fire?

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Brandane

Legendary Member
The evacuation procedure worked.
It did on this occasion, but the point is that it was done without any thanks to the selfish winkers who were more concerned with rescuing their bags loaded with Las Vegas souvenir tat than expediting the evacuation of the aircraft.
Those that took baggage with them should be lined up and publicly lashed by the other passengers, and the rescued baggage thrown onto a large bonfire, IMHO..
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
The plane had just started taxiing, so that would be little unnecessary.
I was wondering about that, as that was the way it was initially reported.
Now the media dramatisers are saying it was gathering speed for take-off. Strictly speaking I suppose they can claim that taxiing is technically gathering speed for take-off, but it's not exactly the final moments before take-off. V1 or whatever they call it.
 

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
I was wondering about that, as that was the way it was initially reported.
Now the media dramatisers are saying it was gathering speed for take-off. Strictly speaking I suppose they can claim that taxiing is technically gathering speed for take-off, but it's not exactly the final moments before take-off. V1 or whatever they call it.

A report I read claimed the plane had reached 89mph before making its emergency stop. I don't think planes taxi at that speed!

GC
 

DanZac

Senior Member
Location
Basingstoke
If the CAA have any sense they will advise / recommend the automatic locking of the overhead baggage bins to coincide with the seat belt signs or a similar system as part of their investigation into this, thus preventing this from happening. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to risk an emergency egress with a suitcase (hand luggage), but the proof appears to be seen here.
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
If the CAA have any sense they will advise / recommend the automatic locking of the overhead baggage bins to coincide with the seat belt signs or a similar system as part of their investigation into this, thus preventing this from happening. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to risk an emergency egress with a suitcase (hand luggage), but the proof appears to be seen here.
There would still be some who spent time trying to break open the lockers....
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
It did on this occasion

Identify some occasions where similar actions caused death.
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
I have just been reading about the tragedy, and one expert claims that some safety improvements have still not been brought in 30 years after the tragedy

A few of the recommendations made after the Manchester disaster were unrealistic (smoke hoods, water sprays, etc), but the majority were adopted fairly quickly.
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
Now the media dramatisers are saying it was gathering speed for take-off. Strictly speaking I suppose they can claim that taxiing is technically gathering speed for take-off

It wasn't taxying, it was an aborted takeoff. The aircraft came to a halt about 800m down the runway.

5611925-British-Airways-plane-catches-fire-at-Las-Vegas.jpg
 

TVC

Guest
If the CAA have any sense they will advise / recommend the automatic locking of the overhead baggage bins to coincide with the seat belt signs or a similar system as part of their investigation into this, thus preventing this from happening. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to risk an emergency egress with a suitcase (hand luggage), but the proof appears to be seen here.
People do illogical things when under extreme stress. Perhaps when under the immediate threat of fire their brains hunted for a pattern to normalise the situation (life flashing before your eyes) and normal behavior is to get your bag before leaving, and it wasn't even a concious decision. There may have been others that just remained in their seats, Manchester has been mentioned, and in that case, several who died made no attempt to leave but just stayed frozen in their seat.
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
If there is a fire on one engine, why were the evacuation slides deployed on that side of the aircraft potentially endangering lives?

The aircraft had four doors (and slides) on each side. The middle two (nearest the engine) weren't deployed on the port side, but the forward and aft ones were.

It's a judgement call - the aircraft was evacuated faster than it would have been if only the four starboard slides had been used. As it turned out, that wasn't critical, but it might easily have been,
 
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