According to PBS, the chances of an average American dying in a plane crash are
1 in 11 million. In comparison, it's much more common to die in a car crash or even
from drowning. The number of fatal plane crashes has dropped significantly in the last few decades,
and even more so with the 2020 pandemic, due to the decrease in international travel.
According to the National Safety Council, commercial air travel is one of the safest
modes of transportation. Nonetheless, plane crashes occasionally do happen.
According to Ranker, 95% of people who crash while on a plane survive. However, if the plane crash
proves fatal for those on board, the bodies are grievously injured along the way — so much so,
that it makes cataloging the injuries incredibly difficult.
Some of these injuries might include disintegration, dismemberment,
and detachment of the skin. Moreover, major lacerations and crushing can occur as well.
Factors including speed, size, and the site of the crash determine what will remain of the body,
although often, a large number of body parts are missing. Sometimes, the remains are found far
from the rest of the plane. If decompression occurs when a plane falls apart in the air,
it can suck out bodies and seats outside, thus making them difficult to find. As horrifying as
this sounds, the suffering for those who die in plane crashes is astonishingly minimal.
It's likely that passengers wouldn't even know they're crashing. If the crash is sudden,
a passenger would only be conscious for a moment or two.
"And when we hit the ground, I got knocked out."
Moreover, the human body is not designed to withstand high deceleration forces,
which is why the body suffers such brutal injuries that cause a swift death.
If an explosion occurs, it's more likely that passengers will die
before the actual crash. However, an explosion would mean a death that was rapid and pain-free.
If the plane doesn't explode and continues to plummet, it's likely the spine will break
and separate the nerves from your brain, causing you to die instantly.
A 1950 crash in London found that the injuries the victims sustained,
including fractured skulls, spines, ruptured hearts, and more, caused immediate loss of
consciousness or death. The same was found for victims of a 2009 Air France Flight as
investigators concluded that any pain felt from trauma was brief and death was quick.
"Its terrifying descent into the Atlantic Ocean took just four minutes."
However, if you crash during take-off or landing, the chances of surviving are higher than 50%.
Additionally, it's important to remember that traveling by plane is safer than other
modes of transportation, like driving or cycling.
Knowing this and other facts regarding plane crashes might help ease flight anxiety.
Even though the survival rate for plane crashes is quite high,
this doesn't mean a person comes out unscathed if an accident does occur.
"It just all happened too fast."
Plenty of people have survived plane crashes, although some did so with severe injuries.
According to The Guardian, Michelle Dussan was only 6 years old in 1995 when she survived a
plane crash that killed 151 people, including her mother, brother, and cousin. American
Airlines flight 965 crashed into a mountain in Colombia and Dussan and her father were two of
four survivors. Dussan sustained injuries to her legs and was in a wheelchair for years. She
was told she would never walk again but beat the odds. She still has seat belt marks on her legs.
On Christmas Eve 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother were
flying over the Peruvian rain forest when the plane was hit by lightning.
She suddenly found herself flying through the air while still strapped in her seat.
She broke her collarbone, had deep cuts, and ruptured a ligament in her knee, but survived.
She was alone in the rainforest for 11 days before she was found. Koepcke's mother's body was later
discovered. She, too, had survived the crash, but was too injured to move and died days later.
According to Insider, there are several ways to increase your chance of surviving
if a plane crash does occur. These include choosing a middle seat in
the back rows, bracing for impact, and wearing tight-fitting clothing.
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