Safety question

Guest Discussion
1

Has anyone wondered about what will happens to your knees if you crash a Cirrus with the seat in the forward position???

2

In an impact that would cause your knees to hit the dash area, I would be more worried about hips. You might have some trauma to the knees, but more serious would be the effect. There are essentially 2 movements - the aircraft hitting something, and you hitting the inside of the aircraft. Your knees are stopped against the dash area, and your upper body keeps moving. You’d probably see some sort of fracture or dislocation.

Then again, one of the first things my first instructor told me was “you can survive most car crashes, but there are very few airplane crashes that you can survive.” It was a grim statement, but kept me focused on learning safe and conservative decision making skills.

3

My recomendation would be that if you are faced with a crash landing you can minimize your injury by leaning the seat back in the full rear position and roll your seat aft to avoid hitting the dash. Research shows that you can minimize spinal injury if your seat back is leaned backwards.

4

In reply to:

My recomendation would be that if you are faced with a crash landing you can minimize your injury by leaning the seat back in the full rear position and roll your seat aft to avoid hitting the dash. Research shows that you can minimize spinal injury if your seat back is leaned backwards.

Good thought provoking questions. I believe that such questions and the thought and discussions that ensue make us better pilots and more aware of or planes and ourselves.

However, I can’t think of of any situations where I would have the time and presence of mind to be able to prepare in such a way as you suggest AND would not have pulled the CAPS. If you have any, I’d like to hear 'em to expand my horizons.

I would expect that there are only 3 possible scenarios:

  1. I am not conscious, and therefore, would not be able to activate the CAPS OR move the seat.

  2. I am (trying) to control the airplane and again would not be able to activate the CAPS or move the seat

  3. I have either given up trying to control the plane or elected to use the CAPS and then forward impact would not be an issue*.

  • If I activated the CAPS so late in the crash scenario that the plane still had sufficinet forward momentum, I probably would not have time to move the seat. Certainly G forces would probably not make it an easy task.
5

In reply to:

Good thought provoking questions. I believe that such questions and the thought and discussions that ensue make us better pilots and more aware of or planes and ourselves.
However, I can’t think of of any situations where I would have the time and presence of mind to be able to prepare in such a way as you suggest AND would not have pulled the CAPS. If you have any, I’d like to hear 'em to expand my horizons.
I would expect that there are only 3 possible scenarios:

  1. I am not conscious, and therefore, would not be able to activate the CAPS OR move the seat.
  2. I am (trying) to control the airplane and again would not be able to activate the CAPS or move the seat
  3. I have either given up trying to control the plane or elected to use the CAPS and then forward impact would not be an issue*.
  • If I activated the CAPS so late in the crash scenario that the plane still had sufficinet forward momentum, I probably would not have time to move the seat. Certainly G forces would probably not make it an easy task.

There was a crash recently that I am unable to discuss at this point where the pilot had broken legs. The aircraft landed in water with out deploying the CAPS.
I think you will have quite some time to make that decition by planning and training for the worst. Planning for the unexpected is the only thing that will keep you sharp during an emergency.