Plane Crashes: 5 Things You Didn't Know

In 2000, right before Alaska Air Flight 261 went into a second nosedive and slammed into the Pacific, she flew briefly in an inverted position -- upside down. As the final dive began, the cockpit voice recorder captured Captain Ted Thompson’s world-class optimism: “At least upside down we were flying.”

A massive mechanical failure brought down Alaska 261, but such catastrophic mechanical scenarios are rare. Although these have been drastically oversimplified, consider these plane crashes:

• Eastern Flight 401 crashed because the cockpit crew got obsessed over an inoperative light bulb;
• Aeroflot Flight 593 went down after the pilot let his son sit at the controls;
• Two small pieces of overlooked tape brought down Aeroperú Flight 603.
  

In light of high-profile disasters like the recent disappearance of Air France's A330 airbus over the Atlantic Ocean, we saw fit to present five things you didn’t know about plane crashes.

1- Surviving a plane crash is good for you

At the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in 1999, researchers from Virginia’s Old Dominion University presented some unique findings: Plane crash survivors were healthier, psychologically, and lived with substantially less anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress than travellers who had never been involved in an aviation accident.

The key seemed to be a question of control; to what extent did the survivor believe they had some control over the situation -- even if that control was limited to what they did following impact? The greater the perception of control, the healthier the survivor will be. These people also tended not to need extensive counselling following the accident.

2- The first 90 seconds of a crash is known as "golden time"

According to the airline industry, what you do during "golden time" dictates whether or not you at least have a shot at surviving a plane crash. They frown on panicking -- no surprises there -- and stress quick, decisive actions to get yourself as far away from the plane as you possibly can. Rummaging through your carry-on to spare your BlackBerry, also frowned upon….

According to witnesses, when their plane went down last September, Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein were frantically tearing their fiery clothes off, and this likely prevented their burns from being more extensive. However, this says nothing about the damage on the inside: Smoke inhalation deprives your tissues of oxygen, the heat sears the surfaces of your upper airway, and toxic chemicals trash your lungs.

Check out a few more things you didn't know about plane crashes... Next Page >>