How to Improve Your Chances of Surviving ‘Extreme Air Turbulence’ or a Plane Crash

Back in 2016, a then recent bus crash in New England led to a discussion with a close friend about the survivability of plane crashes versus bus crashes. He was surprised to learn that the survival rate of passengers in U.S. plane crashes was an astounding 95.7% based on figures from the period 1983 through 2000 according to the National Transportation Safety Board, while occupants of a bus involved in a crash might not fare nearly as well.

A quick look at the latest Death by Transportation Mode chart prepared by the National Safety Council, a non-profit that advocates for safety in a variety of areas, shows that the passenger death rate, based on deaths per 100,000,000 miles ((160,000,000 km), in 2022, the last year for which there is data available, the passenger death rate for buses was 0.004 while the rate for scheduled airlines was 0.001.  Incidentally, the rate for railroads was 0.003 while it was 0.54 for passenger cars. In 2015, it was 0.004 for buses and 0 for scheduled airlines (railroads came in at 0.07 and passenger automobiles were at 0..49). The figures remain fairly constant across the period 2007 to 2022 with the exception of 2008, when the passenger death rate was 0.08 for buses, 0 for scheduled airlines, 0.12 for railroads, and 0.59 for passenger vehicles.

These figures all stand in stark contrast to the 46% survival rate for airline passengers in the period 1962 through 1981, but the reasons for that can at least partially be explained improved flame retardant fabrics and parts in airline cabins, stronger seats, better firefighting techniques after a crash, improved pilot fatigue rules, the introduction of the jet engine, and greater redundancy in aircraft controls.

A Boeing 737 cockpit

All of which come together to increase the time passengers have available to make a safe escape.

The survival rate from an encounter with severe turbulence is even higher. In the period 2008 through 2023 and on flights operated by U.S. carriers, turbulence has resulted in 185 serious injuries aboard commercial planes, but there were no turbulence-related deaths in the U.S. in that time, officials at the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

A look at some major crashes in the period 2008 through 2013 shows how, with one exception, it’s possible for all passengers and crew to walk away from a crash:

• Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in 2013: 305 of 307 survived
• Lion Air Flight 904 in 2013: All 108 on board survived
• Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 in 2011: All 163 on board survived
• American Airlines Flight 331 in 2009: All 154 on board survived
• US Airways Flight 1549 (“Miracle on the Hudson”) in 2009: All 155 on board survived

A JetBlue Airbus A320 taking off at Newark Liberty International Airport

And here is a look at are several crashes and major mid-air turbulence events in the past decade.

• Singapore Airlines Flight 321, a Boeing 777-300ER, in 2024. With 229 passengers and crew on board, there was one fatality and 77 injuries.
• LATAM Airlines Flight 800, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, in 2024. 50 passengers and crew members were injured.
• Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max, in 2024. All 177 passengers and crewmembers survived after a door plug covering an exit door blew out. There were three injuries.
• Emirates Flight 421, an Airbus A380-800, encountered “severe turbulence” as the aircraft approached the Persian Gulf the plane “began shaking violently.” Fourteen people were injured and many passengers who were not wearing their seatbelts were thrown from their seats bashing their heads into the ceiling. Photos of the ceiling later showed noticeable imprints where people’s heads struck.
• Korean Air Flight 631 in 2022. The Airbus A330-300 overshot the runway landing and collided with airport equipment. There were no injuries among 173 passengers and crew.
• Ural Airlines Flight 178, in 2019, an Airbus A321, suffered a double bird strike immediately after takeoff. Pilot performed an emergency belly landing in a cornfield. Out of the 233 people on board, 74 were injured. There were no fatalities.
• American Airlines Flight 759 in 2017, an Airbus A330-300, encountered severe turbulence shortly after taking off. Ten people were injured,.
• EgyptAir Flight 986, a Boeing 777, was rocked in 2015 by severe turbulence several hours after takeoff. Investigators reported that multiple passengers did not have their seatbelts on and had been ejected from their seats when the turbulence struck.  Ten passengers were injured, as were two crewmembers.

It’s unlikely you’ll ever be in a crash and just slightly more likely you’ll encounter severe turbulence, but since one never knows, here are nine tips on how to be prepared for either.

A modern smoke-hood used by flight attendants in putting out an in-flight fire

9 TIPS TO INCREASE LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVING SEVERE TURBULENCE OR A PLANE CRASH

1.) Pay careful attention to the safety briefing.
You may have heard it a dozen (or several hundred) times before, but it’s a good exercise to raise your overall awareness level during the flight.

2.) Be fully aware during critical phases of flight.
Knowledgeable fliers leave their shoes on, leave their headphones off, and are extra vigilant during takeoff and landing, which are the periods when approximately 80% of all plane crashes take place.

3.) Keep your seatbelt fastened at all times when not moving about the cabin.
This is especially important for surviving turbulence as well as a crash. Several recent incidents involving turbulence and numerous injuries demonstrate the need to buckle in and stay buckled. Place the buckle low and tight over your lap and tighten the strap to minimize slack. Turbulence can and will lift you briefly out of your seat without warning and deposit you back down on your seat, the floor, your neighbor, or a passing galley cart.

4.) Read the safety card when the briefing ends.
Think of it as a map that will lead you to safety because that’s exactly what it is. There’s a good chance your fellow passengers haven’t read it and weren’t listening during the briefing but they aren’t reading this article, either.

Cockpit of an ANA Dreamliner, pilot and co-pilot included

5.) Know where the closest and second closest exits are.
If you watch the safety briefing and read the safety information card in your seat pocket, you will know exactly where they are and where you have to go in an emergency. If your first choice of exits is blocked, you will have a second choice.

6.) Learn the brace position and practice assuming it at home until it becomes second nature.
The brace position increases your chances of surviving a plane crash dramatically as it reduces the velocity of your head when it strikes the seat in front and keeps your limbs from flailing about. It’s helpful to understand what this involves before you are in a situation where a flight attendant is shouting “Brace! Brace! Brace!”

7.) Move quickly.
If something happens, take immediate action. With an average of 90 seconds to evacuate, waiting even 30 seconds in your seat can make the difference between life and death.

8.) Dress for success.
Avoid flip-flops and high heels as well as shorts. If a crash occurs, you may have to pass through wreckage and being properly attired will help lessen or avoid injury.

9.) Leave luggage and other belongings behind.
In an age of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, do you want to be the twit carrying luggage or a laptop down the slide whose photo will be viewed by 50 million people?

(Photo: Accura Media Group)