The Belly of the Beast: Prioritizing Survival Gear in Airplanes
By In uli Toopetlook
“The survival bag is in the belly pod in the front,” the pilot stated.
Everytime I hear it, I have to ask, “Why is it in the belly pod?” or “Ever seen a belly pod after a plane crash?”
In 2016, I was, unfortunately, able to see a belly pod ripped apart like a paper trail on the side of the mountain. This information that the pilot gives us is important, of course, but the placement for the survival gear is questionable.
On January 2, 2016, a small plane crashed just south of Anaktuvuk Pass. Nine souls were on board and thankfully, they all survived. Even though a few people had horrible injuries and needed medical attention from a doctor, the day that they survived was still a good one.
On that mountain, I witnessed the destruction of a plane crash. Scrap metal, clothing, luggage, and cargo laid strewn about in a two to three-hundred meter gouge in the side of a mountain. Along with that, blood trailed everywhere from the passengers and pilot.
Having seen this wreckage and the wreckage of many more planes in google searches afterward, it is apparent that the belly pod of a Cessna Grand Caravan becomes nothing less than a shredded skirt of aluminum upon impact.
What I’m trying to say is that the current position of some small airlines’ survival gear makes it insignificant in most crashes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, from 1990 to 2015, 1,874 crashes happened throughout the United States and roughly 36% (or 674) of those incidents happened in Alaska. Of those accidents in Alaska, ninety-six events were fatal. As air transport is one of the most utilized, the crashes become common.
Since I come from a place where airplanes are the only way in and out, I feel as if the survival gear should be moved elsewhere to provide some sort of aid when a plane does have the unfortunate event of a crash. There are a few places that could be utilized by companies such as the tail section of the plane. Behind a curtain in the aft section, cargo can be stored for flights. In that space, a survival bag would be more important than a duffle bag of the same size.
Another place for storage could be up next to the pilot between the two seats in the cockpit. Though the pilot does have little space already, having a survival bag easily accessible could benefit the survivors of a crash.
While talking about places to store this bag, we also have to think about the size of it. Inside, basics like emergency blankets, fire starting tools, and some emergency rations would be present, and depending on the size of the bag, there are many more places the bag can be stored.
Though ultimately this is left up to the airlines in Alaska, I do believe that the survival gear, if any, should be made easily accessible in the event of a plane crash. Though surviving the crash itself is a miracle, moving the gear could also help people survive until they are found by search and rescue teams.