Follow cabin crew's instructions
Follow cabin crew's instructions
My sympathy goes to the victims of the recent aviation mishap
involving a Lion Air aeroplane crash-landing at a Surakarta
airport. However, there are some issues that I believe need
addressing.
The immediate media reaction, in many cases, was quite
irresponsible -- allocating blame for the accident before any
formal investigations had taken place. Tarnishing the reputation
of individuals or organizations by such reporting is easy.
Restoring those reputations at a later date if official inquiries
exonerate them is almost impossible.
As a former journalist, I rejoice in the increasing press
freedom in this country, but point out that with the freedom to
report events comes greater responsibility to protect the rights
of people and companies.
One report of the accident, carried in a Singapore online
newspaper, suggested that many people on board the ill-fated
aircraft had unbuckled their seat belts immediately on touchdown
in Surakarta. Whether this is factual account of this particular
incident, I cannot say. However, I know from experience that it
could well have been the case.
As someone who has an absolute dread of flying, I have made it
my business to study many aspects of aviation safety procedures
and have flown many hundreds of miles with many different
carriers.
On every trip, cabin crew have given clear pre-landing
instructions for people to remain buckled up and in their seats
until the aircraft comes to a complete standstill. In the
interests of everyone's safety, cabin crew have then buckled
themselves into their own seats for landing. International
aviation safety regulators are adamant that it is essential for
crew to be as protected from injury as possible, so that they can
then aid passengers in an emergency.
My research suggests that aircraft are at their most
vulnerable during takeoff and landing. Yet, almost without
exception, I have witnessed many passengers unbuckle their
seat belts almost as soon as the wheels touch the ground and have
often watched people actually rise from their seats and start to
open overhead lockers while the engines are still in reverse
thrust mode. Crew, meanwhile, in accordance with safety
procedures, have remained in their seats.
On two occasions -- both with overseas airlines -- crew
members have left their own seats to instruct passengers to sit
down and re-buckle their belts. This put those crew members in
direct danger had an emergency arisen, and they would have been
unable to fulfill their duties to passengers.
PAT IRVING
Bogor, West Java