Are plane crashes dangerous?
Obviously, but the chances of survival are higher than you might think – and experts are working to raise those levels even more. Between 1983 and 2000, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated 26 major commercial accidents involving 2,739 people. A total of 1,525 survived, or 56%. More improvements are coming, David Palmerton, the Federal Aviation Administration’s expert on protection and survival, tells Scott McCartney, the Middle Seat columnist of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Researchers are looking for fire-blocking materials that could be used in insulation to give passengers additional seconds to escape fires, for example. “The flying public thinks if you’re in an accident, you’re going to die. So you don’t need to know what to do, and don’t pay attention to the briefing or read the safety card,” Palmerton says. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” Some of the new ideas aimed at improving flying safety don’t seem likely to catch on —
