In order to determine which seats on board would have the highest chance of surviving the disaster, scientists once purposefully crashed a big passenger airliner into the ground.
These are “big” questions and somewhat morbid
Aren’t scientists constantly searching for solutions to the major questions?
There was nothing stupid about this experiment, which sought to identify which passengers could be the most likely to survive an aircraft crash, even though some of what they do might be thought to be a little inconsequential.
Where, in your opinion, has the most chance of surviving?
The experiment, which was the subject of Channel 4’s The Plane Crash, caused some controversy since the US government forbade the firm in charge, Broken Wing, from carrying out the test on their property.
They ultimately succeeded in convincing the Mexican government to grant their request, and they chose a big dry lake as their final location.
Furthermore, there were additional hoops that needed to be cleared.
The goal was to remotely pilot the aircraft before deliberately crashing it into the vast, empty expanse to end their experiment.
However, the Mexican authorities insisted that a human pilot operate the aircraft for that portion of its flight since it had to pass over several inhabited areas.
That meant that Captain Jim Bob Slocum had the difficult task of taking the jet into the wilderness, allowing it to be remotely wrecked by another pilot, who would then likely jump out of the plane.
The Boeing 727 aircraft took off from a Mexicali airport on April 27, 2012, before being purposefully flown towards the desert and down into the ground at a speed of 140 mph.
But aren’t you mainly here to learn the outcomes?
Let’s just hope nothing crashes
You might not be shocked to find that in an actual disaster, those at the front of the plane would be the most likely to perish.
The test dummies near the back of the plane were mostly undamaged, indicating that those passengers may have lived, but those who were seated over the wings of the plane would most likely get survivable but major injuries, such as fractured bones and the like.
But it’s important to note that the situation may have been different if the jet had come down tail first.
The research also revealed that the brace position, which has been the subject of considerable conjecture, would have probably averted head and spinal injuries but would have put additional pressure on the legs, perhaps leading to more leg fractures.
Basically, being somewhere other than on a plane that isn’t crashing is the best place to be in a plane accident.
Additionally, the evacuation might have been complicated since following the impact, pieces of the jet had migrated into the passenger area, potentially posing risks and obstructing the exit.
Don’t forget that airplanes also carry a lot of fuel.
That can lead to more problems.
In any case, the crash test produced some intriguing results, so it must be regarded as a worthwhile, though pricey, piece of science.
If you’d want to learn more about what exactly transpired, the whole event was also captured on camera for the TV program Curiosity.
According to accounts, the scene was carefully cleaned up thereafter, and the pieces of debris were removed and put next to a road, where they were still visible as of May 2022.
If reading this essay hasn’t exactly eased your dread of flying, simply keep in mind that it’s quite improbable.
However, don’t count on your seat choice to save your life as there are many factors to take into account.
Just make an effort to forget about it. The best action to do is that.