Hijacked Plane Disaster – Water Crash Landing

The FAA even describes the safety requirements in the event of a ditching: (Federal Aviation Regulation Part 25, Section 801) “It must be shown that, under reasonably probable water conditions, flotation time and trim of the airplane will allow the occupants to leave the airplane and enter the life rafts required by 25.1415. Appropriate allowances must be made for probable structural damage and leakage”



Wow. Information. Proceedures. Advice. That’s all great but it looks to me like ‘most’ of the modern day ditchings have come as a sudden surprise to everyone. Not much time to think it over. While airplanes have been going ‘in the drink’ since 1903 or so, let’s just look at the airliner types from 1955 (the jet age).

1955 – March 26, 1955. Pan American Flight 845/26 a four-engined Boeing 377 Stratocruiser named “Clipper United States” had departed Portland International Airport on a flight to Honolulu. The aircraft was 35 miles from the Oregon coast when at 11:12 AM the No. 3 engine and propeller tore loose from the wing causing the aircraft to become almost uncontrollable. The aircraft was ditched and floated for twenty minutes before sinking in 5000 feet of water. After an orderly evacuation the survivors spent two hours aboard rafts and slides before the USS Bayfield arrived on the scene to rescue them.

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