On commercial flights they often talk about a "water landing" in case of an emergency. Is this realistic?

Question

If the plane had to touch down in the middle of the ocean, what are the chances of survival: 1) if the pilot is able to slow down to typical landing speed; and 2) if the pilot has lost control of the plane.

Thank you.

Answer 1

The announcement is required by FAA regulation for any flight over water beyond gliding distance to either shore.

A ditching is survivable, if everything goes in your favor. The fuselage has to hold together, the slides have to work properly. Passengers can't panic, but have to proceed out of the aircraft in an orderly fashion. The water has to be relatively warm. There needs to be a surface vessel within a reasonable distance.

Your seat cushion will act as a flotation device; for awhile. The slides will separate from the airframe and act as a raft; for awhile. No one flying on a commercial airliner is prepared to spend considerable time even in 70 degree water, let alone 50 or even lower. Typically, without an exposure suit and training, in 40 degree water, you can be effective for about five to ten minutes, before your muscles begin to fail and you wouldn't have strength enough to pull yourself into a raft. You'll stop thinking clearly at ten to fifteen, and lose consciousness within thirty.

Have fun!!!!

Answer 2

No not really, but it's the best chance there is.
Lets say the pilot has lost controlof the airplane. That means the airplane wont hit the water at a much higher speed than landing speed and in any which way, including upsidedown, it chooses. Now the plane wont skip along the surface of the water like an ideal emergency landing should happen, the nose or wing or something will get caught by the water and rip apart the plane and stop it almost immediately including all the persons inside. Have you ever heard of people jumpinf off a bridge and hitting the water so fast it's almost like they hit concrete? Whell, a person's terminal velocity (fastest they can go) when falling is about 90 MPH. A large airliner say a Boeing 737 will have a normal landing speed of around 140 MPH. If the water is smoothe, no waves perfect conditions, and the pilot is good and still has control of the airplane there is a possibility that they could land it without hurting anyone.
In open ocean the chance of having a calm enough sea to land is unheard of, the conditions simply never exist.
I have seen a large airliner land in water safely (with passengers) but it was on a lake, with glassy smoothe water.

Answer 3

The Ethiopian Air 767 video is about the ONLY example of a water "landing" that was survivable. Even still most people died. The only reason why ANY survived is because it was so close to land and rescue crews were there immediately.

When an aircraft slows to landing speed, it is still going about 150mph. Water at that speed is like concrete.
The engines (usually mounted under the wings) dig in and rip off which would cartwheel the aircraft. Aircraft are not designed to take these sort of forces so they come apart. Wings come off, fuselage breaks into tiny little chunks.

Basically, think of what your chances of survival would be if you swerved your car off the road at 150mph. Now think that you are probably unconscious (if not dead) and in the water and severely injured. The ocean is pretty cold. And you're strapped into a seat that is sinking....did I mention that you're unconscious because of the deceleration and from getting hit in the head from the bottle of duty-free that the bozo behind you stored over your head in carry-on?

If the pilot had control (like the Ethiopian incident) you might have a TINY TINY TINY chance if all the conditions were good. If the pilot did not have control, forget it.

From what I remember hearing my pilot friends in the Air Force when they would practice water ditching in the simulator, it was almost impossible to bring a large (damaged) aircraft down for a safe and survivable water landing.

I don't want to crush your hopes, but that it reality.
Mind you, I still do check for my life vest under my seat when they do the little safety briefing....you never know and I won't go down without a fight!

Answer 4

Landing in water is possible, and sometimes during WW2 fighters had to land in water because carriers were destroyed....but in small airplanes it is more dangerous because small planes sink faster...larger airplanes can float for a long....especially if the tanks in wings are empty.
If the pilot keep control during landing, there are chance to survive.....maybe all can survive without serious ingiuries....and staying on wings you can wait rescues for a long time....
But if control is lost and the plane touch the water not horizontally it will probably be destroyed....and people will be chocked and will find difficulties to escape...and swim....
Some time ago a tunisian ATR-72 finished fuel in cruise over the mediterranean(tirrenian) sea, the pilot was able to glide, but not to reach land surface.....he performed an emergency landing in the sea....but the airplane was not easily controllable because with engines stopped(no fuel, no engines) the powerplants had no enough power(only RAT gave power)..so the landing was hard and the airplane was broken in 3 pieces...about one half of the passengers survived

Answer 5

If the pilot can get the plane to landing speed the chances are very high because the plane is air tight. Otherwise you just hope for the best

Answer 6

even at landing speed when the plane touches the water it will be ripped apart. Think about how much resistance water has against any object trying to move through it. Airplanes aren't made for that kind of stress. And they don't float either. Any water landing is basically fatal. do you know why airplanes have Oxygen masks, it isn't so you can breathe. Oxygen gets you high, it calms your nerves. Makes you as calm as a lamb.

Answer 7

at landing speed survival is possible but when losing control and hitting the water its highly unlikly you'd survive

Answer 8

This should answer you question, an ethiopian air 767 running out of fuel and ditching due to a hijacking!
http://www.pilotfriend.com/disasters/crash/crash.large.14sec.mov

Answer 9

You will only survive if you are wearing your seatbelt.. If you aren't wearing your seatbelt you will fly through the windshield