airplane crashes...grab my kids or luggage?

[carbinemike]

I know it shouldn't be a question but the plane that crashed in San Francisco had a lot of people that managed to get their carry on luggage out including at least one guy that got the luggage before his kids...human garbage.

When seconds can mean the difference between life and death in escaping an aircraft accident, it was startling to see so many photographs from the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport of people carrying out bags, including roll aboards that must have come out of the overhead luggage bins. At least one man interviewed in the New York Times indicated that he grabbed his bags and then his child. In that order. All I can say is that it was very fortunate that the fire was slow to spread.

 

[OhioArcher]

Hmmm...given that we are discussing this in a relatively calm environment with no fire, no crash, no smoke I'd say the kids first. But, with all the above going on, the shock and dismay, possible injuries I think I would give the guy the benefit of a doubt. I know they drill into you head to leave your belongings behind but I think some of that goes out the window when the shtf in a wreck. Plus, if all the overhead compartments came down or emptied, the aisles would be full and hard to traverse. That being said, I would hope that I would tend to my family first, then others, before worrying about carry-on luggage. I also hope I never have to find that out.

 

[MikeD]

I sounds really bad but I doubt one is thinking to clearly amidst that type of hell.

For all I know the bag ended up between him and his kid. How old was his kid?

To many facts missing for me to make too harsh of a judgment at this point.

 

[carbinemike]

Good points guys. Sometimes I need a voice of reason!

 

[OhioArcher]

Yes, it is so easy to armchair quarterback these things from the comfort of our home. I saw that immediately from all the so-called "experts" on TV immediately following the crash. The pilot did this or should have done that...the plane did this...etc. That's why there are black boxes on planes to take all the guess work out of the investigation phase. And then we have the cameras trained on the passengers as they attempt to salvage themselves, their families and belongings. We can only guess what was going thru their minds at that time.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Had a blowout in jacked up 4x4 Toyota pickup when I was 16 that resulted in pretty bad crash. The truck rolled over about four times crushing the cab on the driver's side. My seatbelt broke and threw me over into the passenger side as the tuck rolled. Had to kick out what was left of the back window to get out. Don't remember much of anything, but as I sat against a fence post in some stranger's front yard with the truck upside down and motor still running my only worry was that I was bleeding on the boots I was wearing. Had borrowed them from a friend and not wanting to ruin them, I apparently took them off before I passed out. Had a serious concussion, multiple puncture wounds and cuts, and a broken hip, but my folks said that at the ER all I would talk about was those damn boots.

The brain does some wierd stuff under trauma. Might not have made any rational sense to others or to me now for that matter, but in the moment my priorities were clear...

 

[GunnyGene]

Yes, it is so easy to armchair quarterback these things from the comfort of our home. I saw that immediately from all the so-called "experts" on TV immediately following the crash. The pilot did this or should have done that...the plane did this...etc. That's why there are black boxes on planes to take all the guess work out of the investigation phase. And then we have the cameras trained on the passengers as they attempt to salvage themselves, their families and belongings. We can only guess what was going thru their minds at that time.

Absolutely correct. There will be several hundred people from Boeing, the airline, NTSB, FAA, and others involved in the analysis, reconstruction, and recommendations about how to preclude this type of event in the future, and/or how to improve passenger safety. It takes a lot of time.

One thing I noticed is the deployment of the oxygen masks. That should not be triggered in this kind of event. The masks are there in the event of a rapid decompression at altitude. Deployment in this event would have done 2 things: Entangle passengers trying to exit, and feeding pure oxygen to the fire. Neither is desirable. I suspect that Boeing and the FAA will redesign the emergency O2 system with that in mind. If I was still with the company, I'd insist on it.