11 Minutes Of High Risk On A Plane

airline airline safety airplane travel travel insurance travel safety Jul 23, 2019

What are the times on a flight which have the highest risk? It's only 11 minutes out of every flight.

11 Minutes of High Risk Flight

When you are flying, the highest risk of a crash is in the first three minutes of the flight...and the last eight. A total of 11 minutes overall on most flights. This is when most airline accidents occur.

This statistic may be different now with some of the Boeing 737 crashes which occurred 12 and 6 minutes after takeoff, but regardless, it's clear that the highest risk of a crash is at the beginning and the end of your flight.

So to help reduce your chance of injury or death, you might ask...

Does Where You Sit On A Plane Matter?

This is a difficult question to answer because it all depends on the type of plane and the nature of the crash or accident. It's obvious that if the plane hits something else, the people in front of the plane are less likely to survive, while when the rear of the plane bottoms out, the individuals in the rear of the plane are worse off.

So it seems like sitting in the middle of the plane is best. Right? Maybe. The structure of the plane is strongest where the wings attach to the fuselage, which also has to support the weight of the engines and fuel. But some studies have shown this not to be the best location to sit.

A study by Time.com a few years ago, where they analyzed 17 different crashes found that depending on where you sat in the aircraft, (Front third, middle third or back third), you would have an overall survival of 38%, 39%, and 32% fatality rate, respectively. So based on this study...the back third is best. But not all experts agree with this conclusion. Some promote the safest area is in the middle of the plane because of the strength. But that may be impression rather than data based.

Moreover, it's not just about being in the back of the plane (near the bathrooms BTW...), but being in that dreaded and highly unpopular middle seat. Perhaps there is some irony that the seats that are hated the most...are the safest!

What Are Some Other Survival Tips On Planes?

Perhaps one of the scariest elements of a plane crash (other than falling out of the sky) is the potential for fire. If that happens you want to get out of the plane as quickly as possible on the side of the plane that isn't on fire.

The ideal way of facilitating that is to have an aisle seat as close to an exit as possible. The last thing you want to have to do is deal with dozens of people between you and the door, some of which are trying to take their carry on with them in the evacuation. Sheesh!

Other Flying Safety Tips

Selection of seats on the plane is very important for safety, but it all depends on the type of accident. So it's not a complete safety primer.

However, there ARE several tips that would help you no matter what type of accident there is.

Keep shades open. If you keep the shade open, then in the event that something happens, you can see what is going on outside of the plane. In an accident, with the shade down, it may get stuck in that position, essentially making you blind to the outside conditions. As the person at the window (where you don't want to sit unless it's an exit row) to keep the shade open during takeoff and landing. They can do what they want for the rest of the time. This just a small element of...

Be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to where you are in the plane. Where are the exits? How do they work? How many rows away are they? Who is likely to be between you and the exit? Who is next to you in the row? Are they "stuffed in" with carry-on junk? Or nimble and minimal? Are there people who will need your help? Are there people who may end up rushing the exits and causing problems? Do any of those people have a physical status where they will reduce the exit of others? Should you consider a different exit because of any of these considerations? This may seem like overkill of preparation, but it should only take a minute of your time to make this assessment. A minute that could make a significant difference to you in the event of an emergency.

Sit near exits. I personally like the exit row, but they are always a premium and you don't always get them. Regardless, it's a good idea to be within a row or two of an exit for the quick emergency exit.

Sit on the aisle. While you may get bumps from the beverage cart, these seats do provide you with the easiest egress to those all-important exits. Plus you won't need to wait for the others in your row to exit or climb over all of the junk they have stuffed under the seat in the event of an emergency.

Wear sturdy lace-up shoes. Perhaps you never thought about this, but if you had to evacuate an aircraft which was on fire, would you want to be in sturdy shoes (i.e. leather tennis shoes, leather lace-up shoes, etc.) or in high-heels or flip flops. I think the choice is obvious. But many people don't think about this. When flying, assume that you may have to climb over broken glass, ripped metal, burning fuel and other hazards. Pack the flip-flops and wear the leather shoes. Why leather? See the next section...

Sturdy Clothes. Ok, I get it. You still want to feel like you are on vacation, so you wear that polyester sweatsuit. Perhaps you want to be stylish in your spandex. Or you just like a good synthetic leisure suit. Not me. When I fly, I wear natural fiber clothing. Cotton. Wool. Why? They don't MELT. If you are in a fire, it's one thing getting out of the fire alive, but you don't want your clothing to melt on you. That can be really bad. If you do wear synthetics, then make sure you have a natural fiber layer under it. The only exception to this rule? The synthetics which have been specifically made to resist melting in a fire. Oh, and BTW...it's the same reason you should wear leather shoes and a leather jacket.

Paranoid Yet?

Relax. Despite the significant issue of a plane crash or fire, the truth is this: You are far safer on a plane than any other form of transportation, including being a pedestrian! Here is your LIFETIME risk of being killed while performing these activities:

Driving 1 in 1O3
Pedestrians 1 in 556
Motorbike death 1 in 858 (there are fewer riders)
Air and space accidents? 1 in 10,764

(Stats from Insurance Information Institute)

Compared to airline travel, you only have a less lifetime risk from lightning and flooding death than airplane accidents.

One last thing....perhaps more likely that you being in a plane crash, is having your trip interrupted or canceled for a reason which would qualify you for a refund. If you are taking an expensive trip - which is typically non-refundable - then it's worth purchasing trip insurance. In addition, you should look at medical evacuation coverage to ensure that you can be brought back to your home country for medical care.

You can get quotes and purchase such insurance from WhiteCoat Risk Management on our online self-service link. Learn more here or visit the quote page directly

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WhiteCoat Risk Management provides these articles to help improve general risk awareness in all aspects of your life. It is not responsible for any actions you take or fail to take regarding any aspect of your financial planning or risk management. This article is provided for information purposes and is not intended to provide individualized advice. You alone are responsible for your decisions.

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