Q&A for How to Survive a Plane Crash

Cry out loud for help from the bathroom, so one of the crew members will hear you and come to your rescue.

Panicking. Don't overthink things or freeze. Do what you are instructed to do and don't do anything unnecessary (trying to save possessions, yelling, etc.).

It is not true. It actually helps protect you.

The chances of that happening are extremely low, but if it does happen, then the most likely scenario is that there wouldn't be any survivors.

It depends on where you landed exactly and how far away your rescue teams are. As long as you ditch (land in water) close to land, rescue will come fast, but if you crash in the middle of the ocean, it might take much longer.

If you need any medications that are essential to your survival, be sure to have them before impact. If you don't have them ready, do not waste time looking for them, as it will impair your chances of survival.

Every year, only about 100 or more planes crash, including small, individual planes. Your odds of being in a plane crash are incredibly small.

Ensure that the baby is properly strapped in when given the information to brace. Once the plane crash has occurred, a lot of things can happen and you may be injured, perhaps severely. If you are conscious and able to move, deal with the baby by removing it from the capsule and holding onto it, then immediately finding your way out, following the flight attendants' instructions. If you are too injured to move or carry the baby, ask someone for help -- people will help you and the baby. Apart from this, realize that your survival instincts will likely kick in and your parenting instincts too. However, realize too that you may be in a panic mode, a shutdown mode or confused, each of which can affect your ability to respond.

No, not at all. Water pressure and the streamlined shape of the plane will save the plane, if there is no holes or leakage. It is just like an emergency water landing that was done by Captain Sully Sullenberger in the Hudson River.

The flight attendant will open the emergency exit and there will be a soft slide that you can slide down out of the plane.

It will come. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) is always in contact with the pilots, and they have a visual of the airliner on their radar. In the event of a crash, the plane will disappear from the radar, which the ATC will notice. They will send a rescue team right away.

There are inflatable rafts and slides. The seat cushions are usually floatation devices, as well.

The fuel in commercial jets is pressurized, so yes, even while in water, it could violently explode. Jinxing things is a superstitious notion. Panicking will make your flight less tolerable, which is fairly pointless when you consider that there are many times less fatalities on planes than there are in cars, and you're more likely to be in an accident on the way to the airport than on the plane. There's a difference between panicking and being nervous, the latter is sensible, the former is overreacting and you might need to see a therapist for help.

Still stay at a safe distance from the crashed plane. Most of the time, air traffic control will know very quickly where and when a plane went down, apart from some rare and odd exceptions. You might find it useful to read books about plane crash survivors in remote areas, to see what they did -- it's easier to learn from real experiences than trying to speculate about many possible scenarios in a small answer box.

Yes, if a door submerged in water is open, or if there is a hole in the plane. Otherwise, no.

There isn't really much you can do except try to encourage your body to land in a space that looks soft enough to let you survive the fall.

Many people have this fear and many people have also overcome it. You might find it helpful to read: How to Overcome a Fear of Flying.

If you are in a situation like that, make sure you are not cut or bleeding as it may result in attracting the sharks. If you don't bother them, it is likely they won't bother you.

Don't bother. That lessens your chances of survival! Just leave everything behind -- it can be replaced later.

It depends on a lot of factors, including what caused the crash. Sometimes the plane just glides until it hits the ground, or it could fall in a nosedive. Planes have even exploded mid-air before. There is no single way that planes land when they crash.

Generally, there is no designated doctor on a plane, though there is often at least one passenger who is a doctor.

Yes, if it is landed safely. It can land normally but not just in the place it is supposed to (airport). Just prepare yourself for some major shaking!

Try finding the raft if the plane crashed in the ocean/sea, but if it's on land, run as away as fast as you can and call emergency services.

This scenario isn't very likely because of TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System), but if this were to happen, it would be unlikely that anyone would survive, due to the fact that the planes would either explode at 40,000 feet or slam into the ground at 500 miles per hour.

Chances are, no. Your bigger concerns are possibly dying of hypothermia or drowning or loss of blood from an injury.

If you're in first class, you would follow the exact same steps as the people in economy or business class would.

Most likely they would die. Either they would be crushed by debris, suffocate from lack of oxygen, or die on impact from the fall.

Remain as calm as possible and once you have your life jacket on, swim as far from the wreckage as you can to avoid being sucked down once the wreckage sinks.

If it explodes in mid air sure, but to jump you'll need to open an exit which would suck out all the passengers and items not strapped and probably kill a lot of people (but who cares when you alone survive right?) at high enough altitudes. If you're at a low altitude you could open the door, but then your parachute is probably virtually useless as you'll hit the ground to fast for the parachute to work. So basically it's useless on commericial jets unless the plane exploded or breaks open in mid air and you already have the parachute on.

When you crash, ATC will lose your flight on RADAR and will instantly send rescue. So, do not call 911 and waste your survival time. Try to help others, without hurting yourself.