Ditching

Simon StuartSquadron 80San Jose, CA

Ditching

Presentation Overview

Types of Incidents & Survivability

Decisions: Water vs. Trees

Ditching Examples

Aircraft Configuration & Airmanship

Managing Passengers

Egress & Survival

Equipment

FAA & CAP Requirements

Ditching

A Ditch or a Crash?

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Water Crash “…usually involves a spiraling

aircraft, extremely high speeds and thus, little to no control on behalf of the pilot.”

Negligible survival rate

Generally catastrophic event

Example: JFK Jr.

Ditching “The intentional and controlled

water landing of an aircraft”

High survival rate

Aircraft may remain intact / afloat

Example: US Airways 1549

Ditching

Ditching vs. Water Crash

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Successful Ditchings: US Airways 1549 http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-01-20-USAirwaysFlight1549.jpg, Pan Am 963 http://www.peakdefinition.com/imagesBlog/panam/panam04.jpg & most in small aircraft.

Semi-Successful: Bellanca Viking (Wood - they float) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JsSbGdIDzE

Unsuccessful Ditching: Ethiopian 961 – Hijacking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKC9C0HCNH8

Water Crash: Three Rivers Regatta – Structural Failure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL9XIuQ2r98

Ditching

Statistics

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12-15 Incidents Per Year (Down from 30 in the 80’s)

88 Percent are not out in the ‘Blue Water’ ocean

9 out of 10 are NOT fatal

AOPA: NTSB 1983-99. 142 events. 20 fatal (14% - Most in open water)

Equipped.com: NTSB 1985-1990, 1994 & 1996. 179 events. 22 fatal (12%)

Egress rate 92%. Excluding long ferry flights - 95%.

You can make your chances of survival close to 100%.

Ditching

Reality: Occupants Often “Walk Away”

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Ditching

Myths

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“Low wing is better”

“Airplanes nose over and sink”

“Gear up will save you”

“High wings flip over”

“You won’t get out before the plane sinks”

“A successful ditching requires great skill”

The numbers do not support many of these theories. Proper technique is more important.

Generally aircraft come to rest nose low. Eventually they will sink. But there are few examples of “Submarines”.

Gear position may affect deceleration, but not egress.

Ditching accidents cover pilots of widely ranging abilities.

Ditching

Choices

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Open Water? Easy. You’re swimming.

(Lake Michigan)

Ditching

Choices

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How about now? Can you make an landing point?

(Lake Tahoe)

Ditching

Range: Know Thy Airplane

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Example: Cessna 182 G1000. Best glide 73kts @ 2600lb. Adjust for weight.

Ditching procedures* (POH section 3-9)

Power on: 20° to full flaps, 300fpm descent @ 65kts

Dead stick: 70kts flaps up / 65kts flaps down

Touchdown: Level attitude at established rate of descent

Glide range. 1.4nm for every 1000’ AGL*Procedures will vary from plane to plane

Ditching

Water or Trees?

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Fatality rate with trees in the touchdown area is similar to ditching.

Landing with trees in the touchdown area: Fatal 6%, Serious injury 35%, minor injury 65%.

Injuries with a forced landing and trees more likely.

Ditching is more likely to require survival equipment.

Without it, a successful ditch may turn fatal.

Where you ditch, i.e. close to shore, is important.

Better chance of emergency personnel in forced landings.

Forget the plane – It will be a write off in either case.

Ditching

Offshore Flights

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Bigger risks than onshore ditchings

Swells, wind, waves

Colder water

Being found is the biggest concern.

Ditching

Where is the person?

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Ditching

Offshore Ditching Events

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Pacific Ocean. Ferry flight. New Piper Archer http://www.equipped.org/1199ditch.htm

Fully prepared. Survival suits. Third career ditching by pilot. Survived even after losing life raft (Second time)

July 23, 2010. N82531, Cessna 206 crossing Lake Michigan http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N82531/history/20100723/1210ZZ/KAMN/KRST

Medical flight. Engine failure. Ditched 5 miles from Ludington

Pilot and 2 others able to don PFDs. Pilot picked up by boaters 2 hours later in light conditions. All four others drowned

It is not the ditching itself, but the post ditching situation where the dangers are the greatest.

Ditching

Offshore Flights: Risk Assessment

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Crossing Lake Michigan as night falls

Ditching

Ditching Preparation: Checklist?

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Ditching is not a normal emergency

Most aircraft POH’s do not have a ditching checklist

If you plan to fly over water, make your own

Ditching

Ditching Preparation: Steps

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Call ATC immediately

Avoid landing downwind

Seat belts as tight as you can stand. Stow loose objects

Headsets & cables out of the way (Tangling / egress)

Full flaps (High wing), None or partial (Low wing)

Gear up / down decision, Fuel off etc.

Doors / windows open

Pillows / jackets for face. Brace position

Airspeed and sink rate critical to avoid trauma

Ditching

Managing Passengers

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Do this before, on the ground (Better than in the water)

Exits, seatbelts etc. Demonstrate opening the door

Have them VISUALLY look at their seatbelt mechanism

Decide on an exit strategy. Who goes first? Which door?

Children? You may wish to change your route of flight

Emphasize that the plane will not sink and passengers will have time to exit

Special considerations: High wing – Watch out for flaps on egress. Cessna 206. Flaps block rear door

Important for sightseeing trips like the SF Bay Tour

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Brace Positions

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4 & 5 Point Harnesses 3 Point Harness

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Brace Positions

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2 Point Harness

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Pilots: Energy Management

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Minimize the energy the aircraft has to dissipate.

Choose best glide for distance

Choose minimum sink to buy time

Full nose up trim – Don’t fight the airplane

The objective is minimum groundspeed AND vertical rate of descent. This is challenging.

Generally land nose raised but do not stall. Can lead to dumping and nosing in heavily.

Ditching

Wind & Waves

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Calm: Into the wind

Swells & low wind: Parallel to the swells, on top if possible

High wind: Into wind, down the back of swells if possible

Avoid the face of a swell

Again, fly to minimize the energy to dissipate

Ditching

Approach

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Ditching

Impact

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Ditching

Coming to Rest

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Ditching

At Rest

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Ditching

Egress

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Don’t panic

Everyone will get out

Typically a matter of 10-20 seconds for all to exit

Open the door. Allow the cockpit to fill

Cold water: Breath normally (In as much as you can)

High wings: Watch your head

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Unexpected Events

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pucmWr55cgw

Be Prepared

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Injuries: Ditching vs. Forced Landing

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Forced Landing (On Land): Trauma, Post-Impact Fire

Ditching: Trauma, Drowning & Hypothermia

Post Ditching Risks:

No PFD (Life jacket): Drowning through incapacitation due to cold water. “Functional disability”.

With PFD: Hypothermia. Death directly as a result of hypothermia takes a lot longer than through functional disability.

Ditching

Survival Factors: PFD & Water Temperature

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How long can a person who ditches off Santa Cruz, CA, survive in the water with a life jacket and light clothing in GOOD conditions:

In September?

In April?

5 Hours (59 degrees)

3.5 Hours (54 degrees)

No PFD, treading water?

In September?

In April?

< 4 Hours

2.5 Hours

Incapacitation begins MUCH sooner, 15-30 minutes

Ditching

Survival Factors: PFD & Water Temperature

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Santa Cruz, 59 vs. 54 degrees, PFD vs. treading water

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Survival Factors: Body Fat

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Ditching

Survival Factors: Heat Loss

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Heat loss is EVERYTHING

Staying still decreases heat loss by 30%

Huddle / human chain / carpet doubles survival time

Requires PFD

A PFD can double survival time

Do NOT swim. In 50 degree water, the average person with a PFD and light clothing can only cover 0.85 miles before becoming incapacitated by hypothermia.

Ditching

Human Chain / Human Carpet

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Ditching

Survival Factors: Clothing – USCG Test

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10 CG Members. Same age, weight, height, skinfold thickness, body fat and VO2 (Max)

Different test garments, ranging from flight suit, to coveralls, wet suits, immersion suits and dry suit

50 degree water, calm (dockside) vs. rough seas

Body cooling rate per hour in a flight suit:

Calm water: 3.2 degrees

Rough: 3.7 degrees

Rough water, 43 degress: 5.8 degrees

Flight suits are poor insulators

Ditching

Regulations: Required Equipment

FAA Part 91.509 & 91.511: No more than 50 miles offshore without a life preserver for everyone. No more than 30 minutes over water (Interesting - Consider flying down the coast…) or 100

miles without: Life preservers Life raft & survival kit Pyrotechnic signaling device Waterproof emergence signaling device Lifeline Two radios

CAP Limited to less than 50 miles offshore If not within power off gliding distance of land:

All occupants must wear floatation device The aircraft equipped with a life raft & pyrotechnic signaling device All occupants must wear anti-exposure suits for below 60 degree water (May be waived

by wing commanded on a mission by mission basis) If at night over water, both front seat occupants must be MP rated & instrument current

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Ditching

Additional Insight

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“Equipped To Survive”: http://www.equipped.org/ (Material in this presentation reproduced with permission from Doug Ritter)

Abandon Ship Bag: http://www.equipped.org/abndonship.htm

FAA Lake / Island Reporting Service. Excellent ATC resource

USCG Water Survival PDF (Available online)

AIM Section 6-3-3

Ditching

End of Presentation

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