what are the odds of surviving a plane crash (not into a mountain)?

Question

into the sea?
onto a runway if all the engines have failed?
or onto a runway if the undercarriage fails?

Answer 1

you have a better chance than you might think depending on the circumstances
your chances reduce if its at or from high speed and or high altitude
they also reduce if the crash is the result of terrorism or serious compromise of the structure

into the sea.. well not so long ago there was a crash in the maldives (I think) and many people survived
onto a runway with all engines failed... not so long ago an "Air Transat" ran out of fuel in the Atlantic and managed to land with no engine power
if the under carriage collapses again depending on the speed you can survive.. all passengers walked away form a recent fokker nose gear failure last month
even crashing into a mountain is survivable.... remember the Latin Amercian Rugby team that crashed int he 70's (the canabal flight), there was one on columbia not so long ago.
around 10 years or so ago a boeing 737 landed when the first third of the passenger compartment roof was blown away by decompression.

providing the deceleration is controlled (ie speed gradually reduces) then there are lots of things you can do to improve your chance of survival. sometimes survival is a matter of willpower and preparation. wearing your seatbelt at all times when in the seat helps. following the instructions of the trolley dolly's (in reality thats their role to help you survive in a disaster)

Answer 2

Most people survive the "landing." Secondary risks come from fire or drowning. The slower the plane, the better. (A Piper Cub is better to crash in than a 747.) Also, just because an engine fails (or, in the case of single-engine airplanes, "the" engine) there is no need to panic. You talk about a "crash onto a runway if all the engines have failed." It's not at all necessary to crash in that case -- all you need to do is glide to a landing. Often, pilots will keep the gear tucked up when landing under emergency conditions (like on water or rough ground). They do it on runways, too, but usually it's because they forgot to put the gear down. It's expensive, but not usually terribly dangerous. Into water, you have more problems. An airplane with the gear down will almost always flip over when it hits the water. Then you're disoriented, you're under water, and you've been given a bad bump. If you keep your wits and can keep from drowning, you'll be OK. At least you're not on fire!

Answer 3

There are a lot of different factors you are looking at but I will try and simplify.
First, it depends on the aircraft you are in. Second it depends on the survival and safety equipment the plane carries.
Here are a couple of examples. A Cessna 172 single engine plane with four passengers, four life vests. A military jet transport with seven on board with life vests, life raft and survival supplies. And last a 747 with 525 people on board, no life vests and no life rafts.
In the sea: The 172 will float about 10 minutes and everyone will survive with minimal injuries. Most caused by impact with the control panel on deceleration when the plane hits the water. The Military transport will float about five minutes and have even better chances to survive because of the extra equipment and superior safety equipment. The 747, you are down in 10 minutes and unless a rescue ship was standing by have little chance of survival.
All aircraft can land unpowered if they make it to the runway.
On a runway with under carriage failure, the odds reverse themselves. The bigger plane will land at a better equipped airport on foam sprayed on the runway, and unless the pilot loses control of the aircraft most can expect to survive.

Answer 4

into the sea: if you are the lucky few who manage to drop into the sea with a life jacket mostly unhurt, likely to survive if rescued

onto runway, engines failed: depends on skill of the pilot. if he gets the plane to glide more and avoid a smash of a landing, chances r high. imagine a car out of control... and u r the driver..

undercarriage fails: good luck.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

There's always a chance of surviving.

There are stories of people falling from tremendous heights and still surviving. Someone was telling me that on one airplane journey he had, the woman sitting next to him was so irritating he fantasized about opening the emergency exit and jumping out.

I told him there was about a 1 in 100,000 chance he'd survive but then he'd probably break every bone in his body. That would have been much worse for him, because that same woman would probably come visit him in the hospital and he'd have nowhere to go.

Answer 7

Not very good. If you fly request a seat in the back and a vodka and tonic, that way if there is a crash the back of the plane will break apart from the wings where the fuel is and chances are you will only have severe injuries. The vodka and tonic will give you the sense that you dont care what happens.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Into the sea: good.
Onto runway with dead engines: extremely good.
Onto runway gear up: extremely good.

Answer 10

not sure exactly but i think higher than we expect. Apparently 90% of people involved in plane crashes survive. If you have a google and search online, im sure you will find more info. i guess it does all depend on how the plane crashes, reasons, if it lands ok, catches fire. Look at that plane crash recently, indonesia i think, where it caught fire and most of them survived.