PB2000-917002 NTSB/SS-00/01 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 20594 SAFETY STUDY Emergency Evacuation of Commercial Airplanes 7266 Safety Study Emergency Evacuation of Commercial Airplanes R A N S P T O L R A T L U R I B U A N P S U N U M E O T I I O T A N N S A D F E R NTSB/SS-00/01 T Y B O A PB2000-917002 National Transportation Safety Board Notation 7266 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W. Adopted June 27, 2000 Washington, D.C. 20594 National Transportation Safety Board. Emergency Evacuation of Commercial Airplanes. Safety Study NTSB/SS-00/01. Washington, DC: NTSB, 2000. Abstract: Since its inception, the National Transportation Safety Board has been concerned about the evacuation of commercial airplanes in the event of an emergency. Several accidents investigated by the Safety Board in the last decade that involved emergency evacuations prompted the Safety Board to conduct a study on the evacuation of commercial airplanes. The study described in this report is the first prospective study of emergency evacuation of commercial airplanes. For the study, the Safety Board investigated 46 evacuations that occurred between September 1997 and June 1999 that involved 2,651 passengers. Eighteen different aircraft types were represented in the study. Based on information collected from the passengers, the flight attendants, the flight crews, the air carriers, and the aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) units, the Safety Board examined the following safety issues in the study: (a) certification issues related to airplane evacuation, (b) the effectiveness of evacuation equipment, (c) the adequacy of air carrier and ARFF guidance and procedures related to evacuations, and (d) communication issues related to evacuations. The study also compiled some general statistics on evacuations, including the number of evacuations and the types and number of passenger injuries incurred during evacuations. As a result of the study, the National Transportation Safety Board issued 20 safety recommendations and reiterated 3 safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation, railroad, highway, marine, pipeline, and hazardous materials safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The Safety Board makes public its actions and decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews. Recent publications are available in their entirety on the Web at <http://www.ntsb.gov>. Other information about available publications also may be obtained from the Web site or by contacting: National Transportation Safety Board Public Inquiries Section, RE-51 490 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 (800) 877-6799 or (202) 314-6551 Safety Board publications may be purchased, by individual copy or by subscription, from the National Technical Information Service. To purchase this publication, order report number PB2000-917002 from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605-6000 iii Safety Study Contents Abbreviated Terms ......................................................................................................................................... v Conversion Factors for the International System of Units (SI) .................................................................... vi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Background ..................................................................................................................... 5 Overview of Safety Board Activity Related to Airplane Evacuation Issues ................................................. 5 Other Studies and Research on Airplane Evacuation Issues ......................................................................... 7 Chapter 3: Study Sources and Overview of Evacuation Cases ....................................... 11 Evacuation Investigations ............................................................................................................................ 11 Selection and Notification Policy ........................................................................................................ 11 Basic Investigations ............................................................................................................................. 11 Detailed Investigations ........................................................................................................................ 12 Surveys of Evacuation Participants ............................................................................................................. 12 Flight Crews ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Flight Attendants ................................................................................................................................. 14 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Units ............................................................................................... 14 Passengers ........................................................................................................................................... 14 Safety Board Accident/Incident Database ................................................................................................... 15 NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System ................................................................................................... 15 Overview of Evacuation Study Cases .......................................................................................................... 15 Number of Evacuations ....................................................................................................................... 15 Evacuation Cause ................................................................................................................................ 16 Aircraft Type ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Injuries ................................................................................................................................................. 16 Locations of Evacuations .................................................................................................................... 18 Passenger Demographics ..................................................................................................................... 18 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Response ........................................................................................ 22 Chapter 4: FAA Requirements for Evacuation Demonstrations .................................... 23 Type Certification Requirements for Airplane Manufacturers .................................................................... 23 Operating Certificate Requirements for Air Carriers ................................................................................... 26 Safety Oversight in the Evacuation Demonstration Requirements ............................................................. 27 Chapter 5: Exits .................................................................................................................................. 31 Access to Exits ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Emergency Exit Lighting ............................................................................................................................. 37 Floor Level Exits ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Type III Overwing Exits .............................................................................................................................. 39 Exit Row Passenger Tasks ........................................................................................................................... 41 Flight Attendant Exit Assignment ............................................................................................................... 44 Evacuation Slides ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Exit Height From Ground ............................................................................................................................ 49 Contents iv Safety Study Chapter 6: Evacuation Guidance and Procedures ............................................................... 51 Guidance to Flight Crews on When to Evacuate ......................................................................................... 51 Planned Evacuations ...................................................................................................................................