Why don't planes have parachutes for every passenger in case of a disaster like the one over France? Are there parachutes on passenger planes? Are there parachutes for passengers on planes?
“I prefer trains to our planes.
Falling off the top shelf is nonsense!
It’s much scarier from the sky without a parachute.”
Why don't airliners carrying thousands of people across the sky have parachutes? After all, it is quite logical to acquire them for the safety of passengers. What if there is an accident, an engine failure? Parachutes will save passengers! But everything is not so simple and easy. Passenger planes do not and will not have parachutes for both travelers and crew members. Why? There are several explanations.
Extra parachute
A civil airliner is a reliable and especially durable machine. This opinion of experts is justified by the statistics of plane crashes. An aircraft accident occurs in one in 20 million cases (car accidents occur in one in 9,000 cases).
According to the results of studies of plane crashes, out of 570 accidents, only 6% of the total number of people on board died. And out of 50,000 people in an emergency on the plane, 48,000 people survived.
Incorruptible statistics claim that in 95% of air tragedies, the plane crashed during landing and takeoff. At an altitude of 15-20 meters from ground level, a parachute becomes useless and will not save you during a free fall. He won't have time to open up. But what about the remaining 5% of disasters? If they occur in the air, a parachute will help!
Where to place a huge number of parachute bags in the cabin? Will this bring comfort to people when flying? Will they agree to take a parachute and give up carry-on luggage? Even if we provide a place for general storage of parachutes on the plane, this is unlikely to be a way out of the situation.
In the chaos of the crash, when passengers are in a panic, there will be a stampede, people will not get to the parachute bags and will not have time to put them on themselves to escape. But, if the majority of passengers vote “yes” and decide that in order to save several lives it is possible to suffer inconvenience and expose oneself to the risk of being crushed by the crowd, other arguments will come into the balance, confirming the inappropriateness of the decision.
Theory, practice and safety
Are you sure you can jump out of a passenger plane with a parachute? Put it on correctly, fasten it, get to the emergency exit and open it in the air in time? You can't escape from a falling plane by parachute! On the way to the saving and so safe land, the passenger in the crashed liner faces many dangers:
Difficulties with a parachute
Putting on a parachute bag is not like putting on a hiking backpack. Instruction on how to use a parachute takes 4-5 hours, and with the practical part it takes all 10. Does everyone have time before a flight to listen to useful recommendations? Also remember that:
- The straps of a parachute bag, when put on the human body, must be perfectly adjusted to the person. It is too difficult for an inexperienced person to put on a parachute correctly on their own.
- We will have to develop individual parachutes for pregnant women, children of all ages and the disabled.
- The parachute is worn on the ground and is not removed during the entire flight. How can you fit it on civilian planes?
- Is there any confidence that flight attendants and crew members will not quit their jobs at a tragic moment and jump out first, saving lives and forgetting about the other passengers?
But, even if a person has put on a parachute correctly, before a life-saving exit he is faced with the impossible shaking of an airliner in distress. When a plane falls, it is thrown extremely violently to the sides; it is impossible to calmly walk along the aisle at this moment. What about hundreds of people?
It is impossible to evacuate everyone instantly
If you think that you can jump from an airplane from any door or even squeeze through a window, you will be mistaken! The only way to safely leave the falling airliner is the tail section of the aircraft. Otherwise, the jumping passenger will end up smeared on the wing or, even worse, get caught in the engine.
If you've ever flown on an airplane, remember how narrow the aisles are between the seats. This is the main reason for the stampede among passengers on the ill-fated flight. And a stampede will definitely happen when all the people immediately rush to the life-saving emergency exit. Do not forget that a plane in distress is falling rapidly (190-200 km/h). Most people won't make it to the back of the plane.
Flight speed and altitude
Let's imagine that you managed to handle the parachute pack and were among the first at the emergency exit. Shall we be saved? No! The cruising speed (speed at the lowest fuel consumption) of an airliner flying at flight level (a given flight level) averages 800-900 km/h. At this speed, the air outside the side turns into a “concrete wall”.
Dangerous speed. The maximum speed that a person can withstand without a spacesuit or protective seat is 450-500 km/h. Jumping out of an airliner flying at a speed exceeding safe levels, the passenger will instantly die (he will be turned inside out and crushed by the air flow).
Deadly air. What about the air itself? According to the results of experiments conducted by doctors, a person already at an altitude of 3.5-4,000 kilometers needs additional oxygen into the body. And at an altitude of 7-8,000 km from ground level, no unprotected person will survive. On average, airliners take off and fly at an altitude of 10-12,000 kilometers.
Deadly temperature. Each parachute will have to be equipped with an oxygen cylinder. And even if you jump safely from a falling ship with a parachute and an oxygen tank, you will encounter external temperature conditions. At the altitude of a flying airliner, the temperature outside is on average -60⁰ C. In a matter of seconds, an unprotected person, finding himself in such temperature conditions, will freeze to death
Danger of depressurization
Another explanation for why people on airliners are not given parachutes is depressurization. The aircraft is reliably sealed throughout the flight. A person does not come into contact with the air that he sees through the porthole window. In flight, due to the difference in external and internal pressure, it is physically impossible to open the door to the cabin.
If depressurization of the aircraft cabin occurred at an altitude of 10,000 kilometers (average flight level), passengers live no more than 20-30 seconds. During this time, no one will have time to put on a mask, a parachute and reach the emergency exit in order to be on safe ground.
"Safe" land
Imagine an option when you succeeded in everything: put on a parachute, arm yourself with an oxygen cylinder, and through the passengers of the plane, raging in the crush, get to the coveted tail of the plane. Overcome monstrous speed, air force and pressure and jump out of the falling winged colossus.
Swaying smoothly under the unfolded plane, we realize with relief that we survived the plane crash. What awaits below? Where was the plane at the time of the crash? Over the ocean with bloodthirsty sharks and bottomless water, over snow-capped mountains shrouded in cold winds and severe frosts? Or over a hot desert, where there is no one but the scorching sun and hot sand? 
Before each flight, you should take a survival course in critical situations, learn to swim across oceans, climb without equipment, and deal with bears and wolves (and sharks and crocodiles as well) with your bare hands. But man is a winner in life, and he survived even under such conditions.
There is still a chance, we love to live. And we will fight for the tiniest chance to live in this world. Do airline owners agree to such a position in life? For them, aircraft parachute equipment is too much of an expense.
The cost of a chance at salvation
The economic aspect decides the fate of any idea. The ineffectiveness of equipping airliners with parachutes is not so bad. The main reason for the inexpediency of such a step is unprofitability. Why aren't they providing parachutes? Let's do the calculations:
Each parachute (without additional oxygen equipment) carries 10-15 kilograms. This means that a “parachute” flight will be able to take on board 25-30% less live weight (that is, without 1/3 of passengers). Instead, parachute packs will fly.
The monetary difference will be distributed among the remaining tickets, which will significantly affect their cost. In addition, the price will include the rental of the parachutes themselves. That is, the ticket price will consist of:
- Parachute costs.
- The monetary difference between the shortage of passengers.
- Prices for their regular technical checks (parachutes are necessarily checked for suitability and serviceability, and they are repacked if not used for a long time).
- Salaries of full-time personnel involved in checking, packing parachutes and briefing passengers before the flight.
In this case, the price of an air ticket will skyrocket so much that hardly anyone will want to buy a plane ticket costing 150-200,000 rubles to get from Moscow to Crimea. This is why planes are not equipped with parachutes.
What about the ejection system? An excellent analogue of a parachute, safe and suitable for any passenger! Equip each seat with a built-in catapult and fly safely without fear for your life! A frivolous utopia breaks against an insurmountable wall of obstacles and reasonable explanations:
The ejection system that is installed in fighter aircraft is a very complex device. This is a large rescue complex, equipped with a chair, oxygen and parachute systems, protection from speed, pressure and temperature.
To be able to use the rescue system, the traveler had to sit the entire flight in this sealed capsule, fastened with all straps and straps. Dressed in special protective overalls and a helmet. The weight of such equipment reaches 200 kg. In this case, the average board, capable of carrying 180 passengers, will be able to accommodate only 12-15 people on board. How much will the ticket price increase? It will become astronomical!
Keep in mind that when the ejection system is activated, the squib explodes. Shooting one capsule will damage neighboring ones. This means that it is necessary to provide for such a final result when installing cabins. What becomes the reason for the re-equipment and global change in the entire design of the aircraft, taking into account the holes where the capsules will fly out in the event of a critical situation.
That's why airplanes don't have parachutes. This is too expensive financially, unprofitable for the passengers themselves, impractical and deadly. And it doesn’t add optimism when a nice flight attendant at the entrance hands you a parachute pack and wishes you a “good landing.”
You have to put up with it and trust that you won't have one bad chance out of 20 million successful flights. Look at the world more simply!
It would seem to be a completely logical and simple solution, which probably occurred to every person who has flown at least once. What are the reasons why airplanes do not have parachutes for passengers? Is it just the greed of the airlines?
Most armchair experts reduce the issue to finances. They say that it is simply not profitable for air carriers to install additional equipment, since this will lead to higher prices for flights and loss of customers. Moreover, companies are even interested in the death of all passengers in the event of a disaster, because this reduces the amount of insurance payments.
Of course, parachutes are not cheap, and equipping each passenger seat with them will cost a pretty penny. However, will this make people more comfortable? Firstly, this is additional weight. Are there many people who want to replace their hand luggage with a parachute? What if some passengers agree, but the rest are against? Resolve the issue by secret ballot?
Secondly, putting on a parachute is not like putting a backpack on your back. The briefing alone will take a couple of hours. Would you agree to listen to it before every flight? Many straps must be adjusted to the exact size. This means that giving each passenger a standard parachute is not an option. It is necessary to separately think through options for children, pregnant women, people with disabilities... Ideally, you need to put on a parachute before starting the flight, set it up, and fly without taking it off. Can you imagine this picture?
Thirdly, a logical question arises: should parachutes be issued to the crews of passenger aircraft? If not, it seems to be unfair to take away their chance of salvation. And if so, then who can guarantee that at the most critical moment the pilots will not jump out, leaving the falling ship behind?
And just imagine what a gift this would be for terrorists. You no longer have to look for suicide bombers willing to carry a bomb on board and explode along with everyone else. After all, you can jump out at any moment.
But let’s say passengers agree, for the sake of their own safety, to endure such inconveniences and expose themselves to other risks. But here the next question arises:
Will a parachute save you on an airplane?
As we already wrote in the article, the vast majority of plane crashes happen during takeoff and landing. Everything happens at too low a height for a jump, and in such a short time that you don’t have time to put on or even think about a parachute.
Oh yes, we agreed that we were flying with parachutes already dressed. In addition, not all accidents occur directly near the ground. Okay, let’s imagine a situation where critical problems occurred at , and this is 10,000 meters. Then passengers will have just a few minutes to evacuate. To understand how much this is, just watch the following video.
In total, it took almost a minute and a half for calm and ready-to-experiment people, who knew that they were not in danger, to leave the passenger plane through the emergency exits. How long will it take for the same number of people, in panic, to jump from a 10-kilometer height with a parachute, which they see for the first time in their lives?
Skydiving instructors know that it is often difficult to persuade even a person who has consciously decided to jump and paid money for it to jump out for the first time. Not everyone will decide to do this. In addition, the daredevils will face a moral dilemma, because the children and elderly people remaining in the cabin will inevitably die as a result of depressurization of the cabin.
You say, so what, it’s better that at least some of the passengers are saved than none? Okay, then let's see what fate awaits those who decide to jump. The speed is about 1000 km/h, outside there is 50 degrees below zero and there is a lack of oxygen. Even if by some miracle you don’t get smeared on the wing, aren’t pulled into the engine, don’t suffocate or freeze, it’s not a fact that you’ll be happy with what awaits you after landing. The likelihood of finding yourself in the middle of the ocean is much higher than on the threshold of a hospital, which you would really need after such an adventure...
Then, maybe, upon landing, all passengers should immediately put on not only a parachute, but also a wetsuit, an oxygen tank, and take with them a packed lunch for 3 days and a survival kit? Or is this already too much? Or here’s another idea - a catapult. In case of danger, the pilot presses a button, and hundreds of smiling people in comfortable chairs, with parachutes above their heads and glasses of champagne in their hands, soar into the sky...
Why are there no catapults on passenger planes?
Yes, in fact, for the same reason why airplane passengers are not given parachutes: the conditions outside are unsuitable for survival, plus the heaviness and high cost of the design.
Can you imagine hundreds of catapults firing and parachutes opening at the same time? They will all get mixed up and one big pancake will fall to the ground. In addition, even if you don’t make an individual hatch for each passenger, but build something like a common shootable roof, this will significantly reduce the strength of the fuselage.
Thus, all such “remedies” are nothing more than fantasies that are unrealizable. At least for now. That's why airplanes don't have parachutes or catapults. If you look at the statistics, you will understand that such measures are not adequate to the potential danger. The roof could collapse on you at any moment, but you don’t wear a helmet all the time. Therefore, fly calmly and... enjoy the flight.
Not everyone who has traveled by air knows that airplanes do not have parachutes for passengers. This is due to the general irrationality of their use, which does not arise without reason. Several factors influence this.
In international aviation, there are rules according to which passenger aircraft are not equipped with such life-saving devices, since this does not solve problems, but only creates new ones.]
Height
The first reason concerns the fact that Most accidents occur during takeoff and landing of an airliner. In both cases, the altitude is too low, at which there is simply no room for the parachute to open. Therefore, its presence will not help much.
And at high altitudes, even if it remains possible to open a parachute, atmospheric problems arise - excessively rarefied air and very low temperatures. Without a special suit it is impossible to withstand such a load.
Inexperience
Few people have jumped with a parachute in their lives, and instructions are always given before jumping. Therefore, not everyone will be able to put it on and open it correctly. Airlines do not have the opportunity to spend time training passengers before a flight.
Load capacity
This figure is different for each model, the minimum is 6 tons. An airplane crash becomes more likely if the permissible load mark is exceeded or if it is at a critical level.
One parachute can weigh up to ten kilograms. Their total weight will negatively affect the aircraft’s carrying capacity, and in order not to exceed the permissible limits, the number of passenger seats and baggage allowance will have to be reduced. In addition, each time you need to calculate how many of these life-saving devices you need to take on board.
Airplane speed
The aircraft always flies at high speed, which in the case of parachuting from passenger aircraft creates several problems:
- The first is that you need to jump from the tail compartment so as not to hit the wing or get into the engine. But there are few doors on the plane, the passages are narrow. The speed of the liner's fall is too high; during this time, many simply will not have time to get to the exit. Even in the event of an accident, most passengers will panic and a stampede will begin. In addition, you will have to open the doors, which will break the seal of the interior.
- The second concerns lack of necessary physical training. Therefore, elderly people and children most likely will not be able to jump out at all.
Also, due to the same additional weight, the speed of the airliner slows down.
Panic
Many people begin to panic as soon as they realize there is an emergency. It is not always possible to calm such passengers; in this state, they are not able to act according to the instructions of the flight attendants. And using parachutes requires organization. They are not universal and everyone needs to choose the right one for themselves. This is very difficult for children and disabled people with strollers.
According to statistics, when an emergency is declared, panic on board is inevitable, so storing and using parachutes is pointless.
42 replies
Answer from TheQuestion partner
I don't agree with the flight director.
Technically, you can escape by using a parachute. And you don’t even need to know anything to do this. And even from a height of 10 thousand meters. Provided that if a person is wearing a parachute, he is in the air and the ring is still pulled.
But how will passengers end up with parachutes and in the air?
Who will provide and control this? And all this under conditions of stress, pressure and fear. If, even in a calm state, when the flight is completed, passengers cannot exit the plane normally - they rush to the exit, creating congestion.
The idea of parachutes on board a passenger plane contains a lot of unsolvable technical and organizational issues. In addition, it is extremely economically unprofitable. But even if they are solved hypothetically, the benefits are still questionable, for example, in cases of flight over water.
And in what “accident” is it necessary to abandon the aircraft at 10 thousand meters? It's not very clear what the situation is. How to determine it. And such abandonment will be unsafe. Those. There are chances to survive, and there are also chances to die. You'll have to be smart with your breathing. With leaving the device at such a speed.
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CommentThe military transport Il-76 drops 126 paratroopers with forced deployment of parachutes in two minutes. This can be done both from the side passages and from the tail ramp. Therefore, it is not difficult to organize a system for the forced ejection of passengers on a civil aircraft at the command of the PIC: tail ramp; forced rail derailment of seats; parachute system for each seat. As a result, in a couple of minutes the entire interior was reset.
1. The aircraft will lose more than one ton to organize this rescue system, which will lead to a significant increase in transportation costs (reduction of payload).
2. Passengers do not want to be fastened during the flight. And at the time of emergency evacuation, they will simply be thrown out of the chair, which will make the chair's rescue system useless.
3. The cruising speed of the Airbus A320 is about 840 km/h. Landing is allowed at speeds no more than 400 km/h and at altitudes no more than 4000 m. Otherwise, the person landing is injured due to overloads and sudden changes in pressure.
4. And the main thing: most disasters occur at low and ultra-low altitudes. During takeoffs, landings, in mountainous conditions and in moments of poor visibility. That is, where the reaction time is minimal. At this moment, only an ejection seat can save you.
And not in all cases.
Disasters occur at low altitudes, which completely kills the arguments of the majority here that at 10 km there is nothing to breathe. The pilot can reduce speed at the required time and eject passengers at the required altitude.
- Are passengers not wearing seat belts even when approaching the ground? (we are considering low-flying situations)
those. It is technically possible to throw out all passengers in a short period of time, but the market economy and capitalism will not allow the risks of death to be reduced to relative zero?
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Don't forget that the plane is falling. It may simply be uncontrollable. Both engines, or the electrical supply system, and the same flaps may have an electric drive, may be damaged. The pilot will not be able to reduce the speed to 300-400 km/h at the right time and maintain it, vector and altitude for several minutes.
The conversation about the fact that all market strategies can be sent to hell if we are talking about human lives is quite legitimate. If there weren’t all sorts of impossibilities from a technical point of view - low altitudes, uncontrollable aircraft, etc.
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The conclusion is that it is possible to create a passenger rescue system, although it would not provide a 100% guarantee, but it would increase the chances of survival. But they don’t do it not because of technical impossibility, but because the airline owners put their profits above the value of the lives of passengers.
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Comment
The life support system of a civil aircraft itself does not imply the possibility of leaving it in the air. What will you use to get out? It is impossible to throw the doors out in the air: due to the difference in pressure, they are closed so that no force is enough to open them (after landing, this is done using special devices that first depressurize the plane). But let's assume that the falling plane depressurized in the air (which is quite similar to the truth in the case of the flight that crashed now in France). Let's also assume that there was a hole through which people could jump out of the liner. But what would they breathe at an altitude of 10,000 meters? To skydive without an oxygen mask, the height must be no more than 4 kilometers. The Dusseldorf-Barcelona plane crashed at an altitude of about 2000 meters. Would 150 passengers have time to jump off in the time it took for the plane to fall 2 kilometers? No, we wouldn't have time. Not to mention the fact that you need to know how to use a parachute, and it is impossible to teach this in a short briefing given by a flight attendant before the flight. Paratroopers spend six months preparing for independent jumps.
If safety weighs a lot, it is necessary to make engines more powerful and more economical. If it is impossible to open the door during takeoff, you need to make an opening roof so that you can eject while wearing masks. If someone didn’t want to buckle up, he might as well die. And conduct parachutist courses before this. But we need to make a real SAFE AIRPLANE! What is security now? That security mess where it is indicated where to get out in case of fire and at the same time it is impossible to open the door at a height? I WILL NOT GO TO A GUARANTEED DEATH!
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An escape hatch can be provided in the aircraft.
- It is possible to provide a pressure equalization system in the aircraft.
- Oxygen masks can be provided for each passenger.
- It is possible to provide for automatic deployment of the parachute.
- It is possible to provide automatic ejection of seats.
I jumped with a parachute for the first time after a short instruction; I didn’t prepare for anything for six months. I didn’t even prepare for a day.
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Comment
Because they will be useless. From the height at which airplanes fly, if you jump out, you are unlikely to survive - at 10 km there is no oxygen or pressure, and the temperature is extremely low - either you will pass out and not open your parachute (in the case of a long jump with deployment at the last kilometer) or, having opened it right away, you will not reach “comfortable” height - you can’t breathe and -45 degrees will do the trick.
At the speed at which airplanes fly, if you jump out of about eight hundred kilometers per hour, you are unlikely to survive - the oncoming air flow will be very powerful, it will shred the fuselage and tail, the parachute and the person. As far as I know (if I’m wrong, I’ll correct you), the speed of an airplane during a release is usually limited to three hundred km/h.
By decreasing the altitude, we will increase the speed (remember school, how potential energy turns into kinetic energy) and if the plane is faulty, there is not much chance of extinguishing this speed. If the plane is already falling, then it will definitely not be possible to reduce the speed.
In addition, the forced opening system has even more stringent maximum speed requirements. And without it, and without training, and even from such a height where there is no pressure or oxygen, most likely the passengers will lose consciousness after the jump and will never open up. It will also not help in accidents during takeoff or landing, which are the most common. In bad weather too. In general, in 99% of cases, parachutes will be useless, but will take up space, weight, and it will also be necessary to change the design of the doors, equalize the pressure before opening, and install a forced deployment system.
And if you also issue a serious sealed spacesuit with an oxygen cylinder, then you still have time to put it on. And it will weigh a lot, which will raise the cost of flights exorbitantly. And even with it, don’t forget that they don’t jump at 800+ km/h.
If the plane is in distress while at a sufficient altitude for a parachute jump, then all is not lost for it and a more or less safe landing is very likely. Therefore, it will be safer for passengers to remain in the cabin.
If the plane is already in a situation where it is impossible to save it and a crash is inevitable, then the uncontrollable speed and altitude will not allow you to jump.
Finally, skydiving requires the right conditions and the right people. For example, even if passengers (which may include old people, children, disabled people, pregnant women) figure out how to operate a parachute in the air, the landing will be very traumatic. especially if you have to fall into the ocean, onto the side of a mountain, or into a dense forest.
so not issuing parachutes is safer in all respects
This question is answered very well by a fragment of an article from Lurk about plane crashes. Mat, as usual, is present.
15-20 square meters of rags with ropes for the hands can reduce the speed of the fall from “fucked into meat” to “I’m lying on my back in a cast,” but do not rush to put the parashit in your hand luggage and arrange it as your favorite sheet - the only real chance to land is only when destroyed in the air, which in itself is already exotic, and in addition, a fresh oncoming breeze will probably either smear you against the structure before you move away from it, or simply remember so that you will forget about your rag due to lack of consciousness, or spin slings. You will not be able to jump out of the side, even the most emergency and obviously doomed one, simply due to a number of objective reasons and the barometric relays with which the doors are equipped. Until the pressure inside and outside is equal, the dick will open.
Your question has an answer on Wikipedia, so I hope you won't be offended if I copy it from there:
“In passenger aviation, parachute systems are not used to save the lives of passengers due to their complete uselessness for this purpose. Escape from an aircraft at the same time by hundreds of parachutists is a non-trivial task even for trained parachutists jumping from a normally controlled landing aircraft. Escape from an aircraft at a speed of 360-400 km /h is a jump of increased complexity, escape at high speeds is carried out only during ejection, with special mechanisms to protect the pilot from injuries that can be caused by the oncoming air flow. Escape from an emergency aircraft flying at a deliberately high speed by dozens of people, mostly not physically prepared , nor psychologically to make a jump, including old people and children, requires at least a large reserve of time and a special landing device. If there is a sufficient altitude margin and the plane is controllable, in most cases it can make an emergency landing from planning, which and is the safest method of rescue. If there is no altitude reserve, then there is no time to leave the plane. If the plane undergoes uncontrollable evolutions, for example, went into a tailspin, then even a trained person will often not be able to leave it.
To save small aircraft, such systems have been developed and are successfully used (a parachute of 100 sq.m. and weighing 13 kg, deployed by squibs; about 200 pilots were saved).”
It’s not even a matter of having time to send about 140 people through the back door of an Airbus at intervals of three seconds (20 people per minute, 7 minutes in total) and equipping all planes with the ability to forcibly open a parachute (because not every person in a state of shock will be able to correct time and assessing your position in the air, open the parachute). Even without taking into account altitude, temperature outside, and other factors - how will all these people caught in the air land? They do not know how to escape from an obstacle, be it a forest or a mountain or a building. They don't know how to control a parachute. They don't know how to hold their legs so that they don't break their hip when they touch the ground. They won't even be able to extinguish the dome. And this is even in a clean, flat field without any wind. And with the wind and difficult terrain... It’s easier to use one large emergency parachute for the plane, as they once tried to do.
Still, it’s better to get a broken hip than to cease to exist. If companies wanted to save this tiny percentage, if people’s lives were valued above profits, everything would have been done long ago. But it's expensive. This is for the relatives of the victims, such an accident is a tragedy, for the company it is a planned loss. For the rest, it’s routine or a reason to rant about why it doesn’t make any sense to save the lives of those dying in accidents.
Once upon a time, in one of the specialized Western magazines, I saw a fairly well-developed project for rescuing passengers for medium and large aircraft (the project was being considered by some European aircraft manufacturing company). In the fuselage of the aircraft it was planned to have compartments-salons united into a structure similar to train cars. Each compartment-cabin equipped with a parachute system in the event of an accident had to be automatically sealed and ejected along rail guides through the rear ramp of the aircraft. Landing with a descent speed of around 20-25 km/h was softened by inflatable shock-absorbing float cushions.
Military aviation has been dropping heavy tanks by parachute for about 60 years now. And with the use of modern materials, any airline can pull off such a project.
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Comment
It is quite difficult to imagine how to safely evacuate passengers with parachutes. Let’s say the cabin depressurizes at a high altitude. Oxygen masks hang in front of passengers' faces. A dangerous choice arises - put on a mask and buckle up, or pull out a parachute from under your chair and run to the door? Another situation is when something unexpected happened and the commander asks for calm over the loudspeaker. There will also be people who will try to escape with a parachute against the orders of the crew, which will most likely lead to panic and damage to the aircraft. Even in an ideal situation, when the plane is not falling and the altitude is low enough, it will not be easy to leave it - the crush at the door will negate the benefits of parachutes. In addition, the design of passenger airliners is simply not suitable for parachuting, and it is hardly possible to leave them safely through the side doors.
The reason is simple: “jumping” from a passenger airliner at an altitude of 10,000 m, a temperature of -50 Celsius and a speed of 850 km/h, and at the same time surviving, is extremely difficult. To do this, the parachute must be accompanied by 1) an individual oxygen apparatus 2) a protective suit 3) an emergency release device (catapult).
Otherwise, the combination of physical shock, temperature, and, most importantly, low partial pressure of oxygen overboard will kill you almost instantly.
All this equipment, being provided to each passenger, increases the weight of the aircraft and the complexity of its design so much that it makes the aircraft unsuitable for its intended use (it simply will not be able to take off).
But for 1-2 people it is quite possible to do this, which is the case, for example, in military aviation.
Parachutes are not issued in modern passenger aircraft because they themselves cannot be a means of salvation in a rarefied atmosphere at an altitude of 10,000 m, a speed of 850 km/h and a temperature of about minus 50 Celsius. But they weigh decently and take up plenty of space too.
Most accidents happen during takeoff or landing, where a parachute is useless. And at the enormous speed at which a modern airliner flies, it is not so easy to jump out, since you will immediately be pressed against the fuselage by the flow. The likelihood that the plane will fall is very small, and the ability to use rescue means is very limited - no one will carry an additional ton of unnecessary cargo over millions of flights.
Firstly, the parachute itself is unlikely to save many passengers in the event of an accident. The vast majority of them happen either during takeoff and climb, or during landing. In both cases, parachutes are simply useless, since they simply will not have time to open in time even if a person jumps out with it. In such situations, it is much safer to remain inside and wait for the moment of impact in your seat, buckled up and in the recommended safe position. There are vanishingly few accidents at a height safe for jumping, but even in this case, in addition to the parachute itself, a person will need quite a lot of jump training in order to be successfully rescued (liners fly noticeably higher than regular parachute jumps, which beginners are allowed to do after half an hour of instruction and training on the ground), which 99.9% of flyers simply do not have.
Secondly, carrying parachutes with you, which with a probability of 99.99999% (see point 1) simply will not be useful even in the event of an accident (which in themselves is an infrequent occurrence) is unnecessary (and quite significant, if you take into account the weight of one parachute backpack and multiplied by a couple of hundred passengers on an average airliner) cargo, the transportation of which costs fuel, and therefore money. Consequently, we would have to (quite noticeably, as I already said) raise the cost of tickets, which, in conditions of intense competition in the market, is an extremely unsuccessful and risky step.
They are not needed there. In an emergency situation, when the plane is shaking, it is impossible to evacuate, and how will you jump if the plane is falling at great speed. Plus, at high altitudes there is practically no oxygen, you will land dead from suffocation, unless you crash on something, and when you open the hatch, the cabin will depressurize, and 99% of people have never jumped with a parachute. There are a lot of reasons.
Because it's completely pointless.
If we analyze plane crashes, it turns out that there were essentially no situations when passengers theoretically could have used parachutes. The largest number of accidents occur during takeoff, approach, landing itself, and the aircraft's run along the runway. In flight, only 6% of accidents occur at flight level. As a rule, they are accompanied by emergency depressurization, in which passengers either die from the pressure drop or lose consciousness from hypoxia.
But even if we imagine that a technical malfunction occurs, and the crew understands that the plane will crash, but there is time to evacuate - to use a parachute you need to be in good physical shape, undergo training (first-timers and those with coupons jump in tandem with an instructor, after instructions), given the panic and confusion, few will actually be able to take advantage. In addition, a passenger plane is simply not suitable for landing (which is not even possible at all altitudes, relatively speaking - it will be relatively safe from 3000 to 1000 m). Installing a landing ramp will “eat up” up to a third of the useful volume of the cabin, parachutes will take up - a significant place, and the probability of necessity and opportunity is a fraction of a percent. At the same time, the ticket price will double only due to the reduction of space in the cabin + systems development, R&D, implementation, crew training, etc.
Let me take this opportunity to remind you that plane crashes are an extremely rare occurrence. The probability that a passenger boarding a plane will die in a plane crash is approximately 1/8,000,000. If a passenger boarded a random flight every day, it would take him an average of 21,000 years to die.
Please write in the search bar of the site (the icon with a magnifying glass on the top right) the word “parachute” (this is how this word is spelled, read the answers already written on this topic, and try to use the search before writing a question.
A parachute will not save you, as was said above, but a capsule that will smoothly descend with parachutes is very... We have long ago learned how to drop trucks, armored personnel carriers, tanks, etc. from cargo planes, the T-90 tank weighs 46 tons, and the Boeing 737 is 66 tons (empty), throw out the engines, fuel, luggage and other nonsense, add the mass of passengers (150 people * 70 kg = 10.5 tons) and you will understand that everything is very real!
But businessmen do not value human life, therefore it is cheaper for them to pay insurance payments than to do expensive reconstruction and incur losses, in turn this will raise ticket prices significantly, and therefore lead to the loss of customers
An airplane crash does not occur at cruising speed and at normal ceiling. Most likely, between the cause of the accident and the understanding by the crew and passengers that an accident has occurred, the plane will reduce speed and altitude. So you definitely won’t need a protective suit and an oxygen tank. The main problem is how to leave the salon. If the pilots have time to stabilize the plane before the fall and take at least 3-4 km altitude and fly in this mode for about 20 minutes, it is possible to save the bulk of the passengers with parachutes, provided that the parachutes are equipped with automatic opening and an altimeter. Because many passengers will simply be in a semi-fainting state and in a state of passion. The chances of escape, subject to calmness and restraint, are high (if the plane is stabilized and there is time for evacuation). If the accident breaks the plane into pieces in the air or the fall is uncontrolled, the plane is in a tailspin and there is panic on board - the chances are zero. Let's say, a Malaysian plane that hit a rock a couple of years ago could have evacuated most of the people if there had been parachutes. Regarding the take-off weight of the aircraft, it is specific for each model and its meaning is no secret. The weight of the cargo that the aircraft carries on a flight depends on the distance and the weight of fuel for this distance, which together do not exceed the take-off weight of the aircraft. Each aircraft also has a margin of both take-off weight and strength. Providing for the weight of 300-hundred parachutes is not a problem. The problem is that the plane will carry less cargo or fuel on the flight. Skydiving also requires skill and knowledge of technology. Including air safety. Most likely, some percentage of passengers will not be able to use a parachute after the jump. But some percentage will survive solely thanks to a parachute. If you can save at least one life during a plane crash, it’s worth taking parachutes on board.
Because, firstly, jumping out of a plane with a parachute is not easy in itself. Even in the ideal case, a small low-speed aircraft specifically designed for dropping parachutists, with the simplest positive-opening parachute, type D5, is given preliminary instructions and training for beginners. And everything becomes significantly more complicated for airplanes, which in principle are not suitable for jumping.
Where do you think three hundred unprepared passengers will jump from? And for how long?
Secondly, even if theoretically we have solved the first problem, each parachute is 15-20 kilograms of additional weight for each passenger, regardless of whether it is used or not. This means higher prices for tickets, since a plane with parachutes will carry less luggage and fewer passengers.
Finally, thirdly, the main accidents in the case of passenger aircraft occur during takeoff and landing, when there is simply no time “for a parachute”. I hope I don’t have to consider the case of converting passenger seats into ejection seats?
How do you imagine that? The airliner is losing altitude, time is ticking by seconds, and the crew, instead of trying to save the board, will depressurize the hull and try to push the passenger out there with a parachute? In addition, due to the pressure drop, people at least lose consciousness, or even give up their souls to God. There is a project that provides for an entire capsule using parachutes to rescue passengers in the event of a plane crash. By the way, the Ukrainian came up with it. I think the idea has potential.
P/S. For a second I imagined that the airliner was falling at a gigantic speed at an unknown angle, flying over something unknown, and the flight attendants dressed some kind of stunned person, talked to God, and went overboard. And then, bam, and suddenly the stalled engine begins to work intermittently, the airliner levels out and gains altitude. And the onboard conductors looked at each other and said, “Oops, there was a mistake...”
>> Why haven’t they yet invented parachutes for airplanes or for the seats in them?
Why didn't they come up with it? Everything has already been invented!
Here is a movie about an airplane parachute (Cirrus):
Here's a movie about chair parachutes:
The parachute for a large passenger plane turns out to be unrealistically large, and planes crash during normal training and certification of pilots extremely rarely (in the USA, for example, not a single US airline passenger plane has crashed since February 2009, and one passenger died from a blade when an engine was destroyed in 2018 year). The ejection seat is dangerous in itself - many pilots are “written off” after an ejection due to a spinal injury. And these are trained military personnel, selected for their health, and not random passengers.
Because even professional parachutists, in an emergency situation, cannot safely leave a slow-flying plane designed for jumping that is familiar to them, and partially die.
Ordinary passengers flying on an airplane not designed for jumping will not be able to use a parachute or even safely open the doors during the flight.
If you click on the "magnifying glass" icon in the upper right corner and enter the word "parachute", you will find many answers to a question similar to the one you asked that have been given before. All possible answer options are already listed there, use them.
This will greatly increase the weight of the plane with passengers and luggage, which will affect the ticket price. Plus, the chances of salvation will not increase much, because... In any case, it will not be possible for everyone to leave the board quickly in an emergency... and for non-emergency cases, parachutes are not needed..
In modern passenger airliners, neither the crew nor the passengers have parachutes. The reason is not the ability to use them, as was written above, and not the low height (like you won’t have time to open them). The reason is atmospheric pressure and the design of the aircraft.Upon takeoff, the aircraft's doors/hatches are automatically locked with a barometric lock., i.e. a crazy passenger, pulling the door handle, will not be able to go out onto the cloud. As for pressure, at an altitude of 10 km the force that presses on the door is approximately 4 tons. And window portholes have several durable layers. All in all, parachutes are useless because... You won't be able to leave the plane after takeoff. Just enjoy the flight. The crew is professional and will take care of you in any situation.
Firstly, this will sufficiently increase the volume and weight of the seat, and the passenger capacity will be less. Secondly, it is expensive to build a catapult into each chair and rework the ceiling mechanisms. Tickets will cost a lot more because of this. Third, catastrophes that require ejection are so rare that there is no need to take such high safety precautions. And, let’s say, if an accident happens on the water, the passenger will not have the opportunity to put on a life jacket, and not everyone knows how to swim. The likelihood of dying in this case will be even higher, I believe.
No. The reason is as simple as three rubles - the passenger will not be able to use it. For parachuting you need not only a parachute, but also skills and experience in using it, plus you need the opportunity to use it, i.e. acceptable height and the ability to exit the cabin. The overwhelming majority of accidents occur during takeoff/landing, which means a parachute is useless in this situation.
Because to jump with a parachute, minimal preparation is required - this time (even just to put on this backpack). Because the design of the airliner does not provide for the possibility of leaving it with a parachute - that's two. In principle, this is already enough, and it is pointless to even try to equip passenger airliners with parachutes.
I’ll add to the previous answers: suppose that the plane begins to fall while flying at normal cruising altitude, how long can it take before it touches the ground? A minute maximum. Let's assume there are 200 passengers on the plane. In a minute they will not have time to leave the salon and jump out through the only (as far as I understand) door, moreover, panic will begin, a crush, and then you understand everything. Therefore, in this situation, it would be safer to buckle your seat and hope for the best. :)
Because in order to jump with a parachute, you need to have some knowledge and skills. Without preliminary preparation and education, this parachute can only do harm.
There are certain requirements for the safety of aircraft and certain rescue strategies based on how the aircraft is designed to meet these requirements.
For now, it is believed that the salvation of the aircraft lies in the fact that all the forces of the crew are applied to the landing. If an airplane crashes, no matter where (on takeoff, during landing, in flight), no one can be saved, either with a parachute or without a parachute. And if the plane is not destroyed, then it is more efficient to land it. This way the crew can save everyone. And this is often what happens. They land on roads, on water, without engines, without chassis.
29.03.2018, 06:52
Why don't passenger planes have parachutes? A question that concerns everyone who has ever encountered fear before or during flying. Turbulence and other factors willy-nilly make you think “what if the plane crashes, if we all die...”. The next thought that visits our consciousness and fantasy is: “If only I had a parachute, I would jump out and be saved.” So why are passenger airliners still not equipped with parachutes? In the event of an accident, it would be possible to gather everyone in an organized manner and “throw them out” of the airlock. However, not all so simple.
There are international rules according to which a parachute is not issued on passenger aircraft, as it is ineffective and unprofitable. Unprofitable means the extra weight that will have to be loaded on the plane. One parachute weighs on average 10 kg. The aircraft can carry 70 to 700 passengers at a time (depending on the aircraft model) plus crew. It’s not difficult to calculate - the additional weight will be from 700 kg to 7 tons! Each aircraft has its own carrying capacity, and if it is equipped with parachutes, several passenger seats will have to be left free, and this will be a big loss for airlines.
Inefficiency means that at the time of the crash, in panic, confusion, weightlessness and other disturbances, an unprepared person will not be able to correctly put on a parachute and centrally get to the “drop” site without panic. In addition, the pilot and staff are also not given parachutes, so the crew is not tempted to save their own lives and leave the falling plane with the passengers.
Let's imagine that we are flying in a passenger plane with parachutes. Suddenly an emergency situation arises, the pilots cannot cope with it and the plane plummets.
Situation 1
We know how to use a parachute and were able to put it on, but the plane is throwing from side to side so much that we simply cannot get to the exit. In fact, even professional paratroopers would have a hard time getting out of a falling plane. Not to mention us, unprepared passengers.
Situation 2
We are wearing a parachute, the plane continues to fall and we miraculously made it to the safest door at the end of the plane. If you get out of other doors, you can crash into the wing or get into the engine when jumping. So, we open the door, and here another trouble awaits us: air and speed.
As everyone knows, a passenger plane flies at speeds of up to 1000 km/h. At this speed, the air becomes like a concrete wall. If you jump out of a plane without some physical preparation, you will simply break down and turn out. This is especially true for older people, women and children.
What about air? Airplanes fly at an altitude of about 10-12 km. According to research, at an altitude of 4 km a person begins to need additional oxygen. At an altitude of 8 km, a person simply cannot survive without an oxygen cylinder. It is unlikely that you will be able to jump out at such a speed and height, grabbing an oxygen tank along the way.
Situation 3
You got to the door and opened it - depressurization! When depressurized at an altitude of about 10 km, a person lives no more than 30 seconds.
Situation 4
You were still able to get out of the plane, overcome the monstrous pressure, the blow of air, the temperature of minus 60 degrees in the absence of oxygen. And here again the test - below is the taiga, winter, bears, wolves, ocean, desert, field, high-voltage lines, mad boars and other troubles. To survive in this case would be great luck.
Of course there is a chance to survive! People are designed in such a way that they will fight to the last even for the most insignificant chance of survival. However, do airlines agree with our position? Unfortunately, no, they believe that the chance of salvation is so insignificant that cutting their income by 30% is too high a price that they are not willing to pay for this chance. In addition, the survivors will sue the airline for much more than the compensation to the families of the victims.
By the way, a method has long been invented in which all passengers can be saved in the event of an aircraft crash. The passenger compartment and the pilot's cabin are a capsule, which in the event of a crash can be detached from the rest of the plane and descend to the ground using parachutes. They, in turn, automatically open up in this situation - and everyone is saved! It looks like this:
This is also not beneficial for the airlines; again, the survivors will sue. So technically this option is real and there are possibilities for implementation, but no one wants to convert their fleet of aircraft and pay compensation to the survivors. This is the crux of the problem.
Positive point
According to a study of air accidents conducted over 20 years, in 570 accidents, only 5% of all passengers on board died. That is, out of 53 thousand people who survived the crash, 51 thousand remained alive.
Don't forget that 90% of plane crashes occur during takeoff and landing. It is unlikely that you will need a parachute at an altitude of 20 meters.