What percentage of those involved in a plane crash survive?
It’s higher than you’d think. The US National Transportation Safety Board puts the survival rate in the US at 95.7 percent, while the European Transport Safety Council examined the survivability of aircraft accidents worldwide, estimating that 90 percent are survivable (no passengers died) or “technically survivable” (at least one passenger survives). Even within the most serious plane crashes, 55 percent of passengers and crew still survive. Wearing your seatbelt, wearing non-flammable clothing and understanding where the exit rows are will increase your chances of survival.
Knowing how to survive a plane crash will also up your chances.
Do pilots sleep while they’re flying?
The answer is unfortunately yes. Up to half of pilots surveyed in the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden report having fallen asleep while flying a passenger plane. And even if they’re not sleeping, they may still be making mistakes in the air because they’re tired. The study found that three out of five pilots in Sweden, Norway and Denmark say they made mistakes because they were tired; in Germany, four out of five did this. But 70 to 80 percent of tired pilots say they wouldn’t tell anyone they were unfit to fly due to possible disciplinary action.
Why is the seatbelt sign turned on at 10,000 feet?
It’s actually arbitrary, Captain Han Hee-seong told CNN. While flight attendants may tell you to put your seatbelt on at a certain time depending on the height of the aircraft, they’re really just giving you a random excuse to make sure your seatbelt is on. In other words, just put your seatbelt on when you sit down, and you’ll be golden.