Canada. Aircraft accident in Toronto. The special construction saved the life of passengers – experts

On Monday, at the International Pearson airport in Toronto in Canada, there was a dramatic Passenger plane accident during its landing. The Delta Air Lines machine just after landing began to glide on the waist at a great speed, turned up with the chassis and stood in flames. “We hit the ground, lay sideways, and then hanged upside down like bats,” CNN reported one of the passengers, Pete Koukov.

However, all 80 people on board survived the disaster and were evacuated. 18 people were injured. As the experts indicated by the CNN station, the special design of the aircraft and modern technologies contributed to this. – Well, it's about the construction. It's engineering. These are years of research on civil aviation. All this did possible for something like that to happen – says aviation expert Michael McCormick, assistant professor at the Embry -Riddle Aviation University.

Experts indicate that the special design of modern passenger aircraft, such as Bombardier CRJ-900 broken in Toronto, is the result of experiences drawn from many air disasters in the past. – If this catastrophe took place several dozen years ago, no one would survive it – says Peter Goelz, former managing director of the American National Transport Security Council (NTSB).

One of the conclusions drawn from them was that the fuel was primarily in the wings, not under passengers. This location of fuel tanks is already a standard today in the vast majority of modern passenger machines, but in the past it was in the hull. – At the beginning of aviation, they were stored there, in the underside of the plane fuselage – reminds McCormick.

Meanwhile, as CNN notes, the location of fuel in the wings of the aircraft significantly contributed to the saving of people's lives in Monday. When the plane after landing began to insist on the runway, at some point the right wing broke away from it and immediately stood in flames. The fuel found inside was just lit, but thanks to the fact that it was in the wing, the fire was far from the passenger cabin. The more that the wing broke away from the fuselage – whether this detachment was also designed, whether it happened in an unforeseen way by designers, will be found during the investigation.

Another element of the aircraft structure, which was of great importance for saving people on board Bombardier, were modern seats, experts indicate. – Currently, most modern commercial aircraft must be equipped with overloads that can withstand up to 16g – says McCormick. This means that they can withstand the impact of forces 16 times exceeding the force of earthly attraction. – We do not want the seats to fall apart or loosen in the case of a plane, even if the plane is up to the top of the chassis – he explains. Air seats are additionally blocked on rails in the floor, which makes it extremely difficult to tear them away from the ground.

Another “significant security”, which experts indicate, were also seat belts mounted at the seats. “Without the seat belts, passengers would throw in all directions and would suffer much more injuries,” explains Hassan Shahidi, president and general director of Flight Safety Foundation, an organization supporting aviation safety. “It was an important factor in this case,” he emphasized.

“It means that if you are properly fastened, in the event of an emergency landing you will experience a blow and you will have a chance to escape,” adds Goelz. – And if you combine it with the progress in the field of fireproof materials, you really have a good chance (to survive), if you follow the instructions – he said.

Experts also emphasize the importance of a qualified plane crew. CNN informs that despite the fact that the plane stopped the chassis up and the passengers hung their heads down, the crew managed to evacuate everyone in less than 90 seconds. – The flight attendants did their work perfectly. They have survived heroically – said Sara Nelson, president of the Stevardes trade union in the USA.

– Let's hope that thanks to this event, society will be more aware and grateful to men and women who work as on -board staff – said McCormick. – They are responsible for much more than just collecting garbage and serving carbonated drinks. They are trained professionals, responsible for the safety of passengers. And they did a fantastic job – he added.

– It was absolutely phenomenal that we could see how people leave the plane lying up the chassis – emphasized McCormick.

See also: “We hung upside down like bats”, “amazing that we are still here”