Plane Crash survivours (house, accident, commercial, how to)

[ktalley]

I know that you are much more likely to die in car accident then a plane crash but I just can't stop getting an uneasy feeling everytime I fly.

What going threw peoples minds when an accident is happening and you are just waiting for your death? IS there anybody who has been on a reallly scarry plane ride or even been threw an accisdent that can share their story? Do you still fly after something likev that?

[CTaxolotl]

I was a passenger on a jet (a 737 I believe) that had to do a "go around" because it got caught in the tail wind of a much larger jet while on landing approach in Denver. It was probably just a few seconds of violent shaking of the plane-not regular turbulence, but like King Kong had gripped the plane and was shaking it side to side! The few seconds during which this occurred seemed like five or ten minutes. Everybody on the plane was absolutely quiet-we just looked at each other in shock! I'm surprised nobody started screaming. Once the shaking stopped, we started climbing and the pilot explained that we had been in wake turbulence from a big plane. Apparently that's why there are separation requirements when jets are landing/taking off. So, we went around and basically did the landing over. I'm really nervous about flying, but have been doing for forty years now, and I just try to breathe my way through it and think positive thoughts!

[brokencrayola]

I have never felt that comfortable flying and I have not flown since 911. I have been in a few car accidents and they have shaken me up a lot and taken awhile to mentally get past the fear of driving again. I think the whole thing with a plane is your are WAY up in the air in a big piece of metal and feel much more vulnerable up there than on the ground in a car.

[Tek_Freek]

Tornadic activity to and from Chicago one year. Had to circle the airport (O'Hare) for 30 minutes or so. Plane would hit turbulence/air pockets/whatever and slam us into our seats, hard. 10 seconds later my head is bouncing off the storage area above me. Tipping side-to-side all the while. Same stuff leaving Chicago.

We get back home and land from a direction where the front of the runway ends by a major intersection so the landings are abrupt. The pilot waits until we are just as close as we can get and drops the nose -- fast. I swear I thought I was a dead man. Pilot pulls up the nose and lands smooth as silk. This in the middle of the damnedest weather I've ever flown in. We asked the stewardess what was up. Her answer: "The pilot is ex-Navy and used to land on carriers. He always comes down like that." Jeez, you could have told us earlier!

1. I was not happy bouncing up and down at Chicago. Downright scared. As in sh*tless.

2. During the fast drop at home I was calm. Funny that, I knew I was going to die and I was as calm as I've ever been. Eerie.

As a result I was one nervous flier for years. I'm now past it and enjoy flying again.

[delusianne]

ktalley, if it helps, American, United, Southwest, Alaska and Midwest Airlines just had big safety inspections - they were forced to, but at least they got inspected.

AFP: American Airlines cancellations top 3,000 on safety checks

[mrstewart]

I became phobic of flying, as many people, after 9/11 and then we had a very stressful international flight in which the authorities were involved because of very questionable passengers.

With that being said, I decided to go to flight school. Had a blast, learned alot and overcame my fears. I didn't realize how vulnerable I always felt on an aircraft before I learned how to fly.

I was never trained to fly jets or commercial airliners but I feel like I have a more control than I did before.

A strong Bloody Mary before boarding the plane helps too!

[bbguy05]

The only thing about flying I can't stand is when the plane suddenly drops (as if the pilot is landing the plane too fast, etc). The feeling in my stomach that I get when that happens is unbearable.

Thankfully I haven't had any horrible experiences as those described above.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by ktalley

I know that you are much more likely to die in car accident then a plane crash but I just can't stop getting an uneasy feeling everytime I fly.

What going threw peoples minds when an accident is happening and you are just waiting for your death? IS there anybody who has been on a reallly scarry plane ride or even been threw an accisdent that can share their story? Do you still fly after something likev that?

Think of it this way, if you were to fly from Los Angeles to London, and back, you are much more likely to get involved in a car accident driving 15 miles, from the airport to your house, than being in a minor incident while travelling the 12,000 miles by air between the two cities.

[square peg]

Then, on the other hand - most car accidents are just fender benders.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by square peg

Then, on the other hand - most car accidents are just fender benders.

That's true SP, but remember you have a much better chance of winning the lottery, than being in a plane crash. If you were to drive from New York to LA, and back, your chances of being involved in an automobile accident, even a fender bender, are much higher than being in a minor air incident. Forty years ago, you had a higher chance of being in an incident while travelling by air, because pilots back then had to rely on their own skills, and ATC (Air Traffic Control) to navigate from point A to point B. Now, technology has taken over a lot of their chores, and the number of persons needed in the flight deck of an airliner, has gone from 3 to 2. Plus, there are many systems in the aircraft that are used to ensure safe navigation in the air, one in particular is the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) that ensure aircraft are kept far apart from each other.