Russia crash: Emergency evacuation rules designed to keep you safe - from seating to cabin baggage

Forty-one people have died after a Russian airliner made an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

The plane burst into flames on the runway. Video footage shows many of the 37 survivors running away from the stricken aircraft with their cabin baggage.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) says that nine out of 10 passenger airliner accidents can be categorised as survivable or technically survivable.

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) adds: “Even in clearly catastrophic circumstances such as fire or fuselage disruption, a high level of occupant survivability can be achieved.”

The rules are drafted to maximise the chance of passengers leaving the aircraft before fire takes hold.

The European Aviation Safety Agency says that aircraft seating more than 44 passengers must be able to be fully evacuated “under simulated emergency conditions within 90 seconds”.

The test stipulates that only half the emergency exits are available, with no prior knowledge of which can be used; that the demonstration is conducted in reduced lighting conditions; cabin baggage and blankets are positioned in aisles; and a representative number of older passengers must be included.

There are many more aspects – mainly as specified by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), but mirrored by safety agencies across the world.

The way that passengers are allocated seats can affect an emergency evacuation. The CAA divides passengers into three types. The first: passengers “who appear reasonably fit and strong” and are deemed likely to be able to assist with an evacuation. They are the only people who should be seated adjacent to “self-help” exits – typically the over-wing exits where there is no crew member. The seats next to these exits must be occupied by suitable passengers.

The second group, defined as “passengers likely to impede evacuation,” must not seated where they might obstruct emergency equipment or exits, “or otherwise impede the crew in carrying out their duties”. The CAA has a long list of criteria of passengers, starting with those “who are physically or mentally handicapped to the extent that they would have difficulty in moving quickly if asked to do so” and those “whose sight or hearing is impaired to the extent that they might not readily become aware of instructions given to begin evacuating the aircraft”.

It also includes “passengers whose physical size would prevent them from being able to move quickly,” individuals who are in custody or are being deported, and “children and infants, whether or not they are accompanied by an adult”.

The third group, ie everyone else, can be seated anywhere apart from self-help emergency exits.

The rules on adults being seated with children are intended specifically to avoid undue delays in the event of an emergency evacuation.

“During emergency evacuations, group members separated from other members of the family or party might seek each other out during the evacuation process,” says the CAA.

“Such actions could have an adverse effect on passenger flow rates towards emergency exits and might seriously affect the outcome of an evacuation. Additionally, infants and young children would need assistance from adults in the donning of oxygen masks during decompression.”

Therefore there are rules on seat allocation. Children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults, nor, on wide-bodied aircraft, by more than one aisle.

In practice, the UK airlines contacted by The Independent say they will always seat a child next to a parent or guardian – though family groups may be split, with each parent in a different row.

Cabin crew must “conduct the briefing in a professional and interested manner,” with the wording and presentation of the demonstration designed to encourage passengers to pay attention.

Passengers should always watch the safety demonstration, and ascertain where the nearest exit is, both in front and behind.

Airlines must not say they are making the briefing because the law requires them to do so.

While the aircraft is taxiing, cabin crew should not hand out of newspapers, drinks, etc.

It is possible that a plane many need to evacuate while at the gate. If passengers are on board during refuelling, the CAA says: “The 'Fasten Seat Belts' signs should be switched off and passengers should be briefed to unfasten their seat belts.

“Provision should be made, via at least two of the main passenger doors (or the main passenger door plus one emergency exit when only one main door is available), and preferably at opposing ends of the aircraft, for the safe evacuation of passengers in the event of an emergency.

“Throughout the fuelling operation, each of these doors should constantly be manned by at least one cabin crew member per door.”

“The increasing amount of cabin baggage being allowed into passenger cabins can pose new challenges to both flight crew and cabin crew in emergency evacuations,” says the RAeS.

Hand luggage must be placed “where it cannot impede evacuation from the aircraft”, ie in overhead storage bins or completely under the seat of the passenger in front.

“Under-seat stowages may only be used if the seat is equipped with a restraint bar and the baggage is of a size to fit entirely under the seat,” says the CAA.

The problem exposed by the Russian tragedy is that many of the survivors took their cabin baggage with them. This dangerous and thoughtless practice may well turn out to have cost lives in this accident.

The rule is that you leave everything behind – to avoid wasting time, blocking the aisle and damaging the escape slide. We have seen it before – for example in September 2015 when one engine of a British Airways plane burst into flames at Las Vegas airport during take off for Gatwick.

When an Air France plane skidded off the end of the runway in Toronto in 2005, the accident report said the evacuation was impeded because nearly half the passengers retrieved their cabin baggage.

The trend is set to increase, as passengers are incentivised by airline baggage policies to take more luggage into the cabin. In addition, travellers tend to be carrying increasingly expensive devices such as laptops, tablets and cameras.

The aviation safety authorities will be looking even harder at how to convince passengers not to grab their possessions. Is the practice subconscious, because we’re used to taking bags out of the overhead lockers, or is it simply selfish – “I can see I am going to get out alive, so I’ll just grab my laptop before I go”?

Locking the overhead bins centrally for taxi, take-off and landing is being discussed, but some fear that the move could prove counter-productive, because some passengers might struggle to open the bins and hold up the other people even more.

In December 1985, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: “The Civil Aviation Authority should urgently give consideration to the formulation of a requirement for the provision of smokehoods/masks to afford passengers an effective level of protection during fires which produce a toxic environment within the aircraft cabin.”

This has not happened. The mandatory use of such “Protective Breathing Equipment” would involve additional expense and training. There have been concerns that it makes evacuations more difficult because passengers and, especially, cabin crew who are wearing smokehoods are not able to make themselves understood.

It is an offence to board a plane when drunk, or to become drunk once aboard. Intoxicated passengers present an hazard during an emergency evacuation, because the alcohol may affect their capacity to follow instructions leave the aircraft – obstructing other passengers and using up the cabin crew’s time when every second can mean the difference between life and death.

“Those who are under the influence of alcohol or different types of drugs are often slower to comply with evacuation orders,” says the RAeS.

The uniform rules for cabin crew specify: “Flat shoes should be worn during take-off, landing and emergency situations to allow cabin crew to carry out their duties and avoid damage to evacuation slides.” Passengers would be wise to follow the same policy.