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Questions tagged [ditching]

Use this tag for questions about emergency landings in water, in aircraft not designed for water landings. For emergency landings on land, use the "landing" and "emergency" tags instead.

2 votes
1 answer
244 views

Do airline pilots prepare and are aware of possible emergency landing sites around airports they are taking off in case of complete engine failure?

Do airline pilots prepare and are aware of possible emergency landing sites (like farm fields, wide highways, lakes etc.) around airports they are taking off in case of complete engine failure at a ...
MangoPanda21's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What could cause both engines on a 737-200 to fail at nearly the same time?

On July 2nd a 737-200 departing from Honolulu experienced engine trouble shortly after take-off. The flight ended with the flight crew having to ditch the aircraft and being rescued by the Coast Guard....
nodapic's user avatar
  • 1,827
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the maximum range over open water with twin-engine to require dinghy in EASA?

What is the maximum range for a twin-engine aircraft to fly over open water before having the requirement for flotation devices (vests / dinghy) under EASA-rules?
Arthur Romeijn's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Could a landing gear jettison mechanism be practical when ditching?

Reading this answer about GA aircraft ditching, I wondered if, considering conventional fixed landing gear aircraft (taildraggers) which often operate overwater, having the ability to jettison the ...
user avatar
24 votes
3 answers
4k views

Is it recommended to get a life raft for short overwater operations?

I'd like to fly to Santa Catalina Island (AVX) from the mainland around Los Angeles. There is a portion of this overwater flight where my Cessna 172 will be beyond gliding distance from land. I know ...
SurfandSky's user avatar
  • 1,117
1 vote
1 answer
453 views

How close to the envelope and the ideal was US1549 on ditching in the Hudson?

I assume that for "water landing" an airplane should be configured for the lowest possible stall speed, and then flown to that speed before impact to minimize the energy to dissipate on impact. What ...
feetwet's user avatar
  • 2,284
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

Can the overwing exit slide be used when ditching in an A320?

I want to ask if an overwing exit slide in an Airbus A320 can be opened at all when landing or ditching. Is the exit still usable? Or it is blocked and we have to move the passenger to another one? ...
San's user avatar
  • 11
6 votes
2 answers
4k views

What and where are "flotation seat cushions"?

Inspired by the question Why did the US Airways Flight 1549 passengers stay on the wings? I read parts of the respective accident report[PDF]. They mention the flight was a non-EOW (extended overwater)...
PerlDuck's user avatar
  • 3,186
20 votes
2 answers
7k views

Why did the US Airways Flight 1549 passengers stay on the wings?

Couldn't they use the overwing slides as flotation devices and stay on those instead?
user1202136's user avatar
21 votes
6 answers
14k views

Why don't commercial aircraft adopt a slightly more seaplane-like design to allow safer ditching in case of emergency?

For example : Why don't they have a more hydrodynamically shaped fuselage underside ? Specifically for the aircraft that have their engines mounted under the wings, isn't this too dangerous for ...
nullPointer's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why are the 737's rear doors unusable in a water landing?

The 737's rear exit doors cannot be used to evacuate the aircraft in the event of a water landing, as shown, for example, in this safety card: (Image from flight-report, via Jordy here at AvSE.) In ...
Vikki's user avatar
  • 28.4k
23 votes
3 answers
10k views

Does the ditching switch allow an A320 to float indefinitely?

I watched a documentary yesterday about the Hudson River ditching of US Airways Flight 1549. In the documentary, one of the investigators explained that the reason the water was entering so quickly ...
Cloud's user avatar
  • 13.6k
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

In an emergency near a remote island is it better to land resulting in the airport closing or ditch in the water?

Consider a landing at a remote island (like Easter Island or perhaps one with a calm lagoon, like YLHI) in which the aircraft is likely to crash and close the airport. (For example a gear-up landing ...
Hugh's user avatar
  • 1,967
21 votes
3 answers
9k views

Why would landing the space shuttle on water have been unsurvivable?

For an aircraft unable to reach a runway on land, ditching in water is a common and, generally, highly-survivable option; however, for the space shuttle, according to Wikipedia, "...an ocean ditching ...
Vikki's user avatar
  • 28.4k
35 votes
4 answers
15k views

Why can't you ditch your aircraft in the sea?

Disclosure: I'm just a random guy who knows nothing about aviation. :-) I read: A voice in my earphones was shouting: “Ditch the plane! Ditch it in the ocean!” It must have come from the ...
user541686's user avatar

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