Asiana 214, seat belts, and utility knives

Factual Questions
1

There are reports of first responders at the scene of Asiana 214 tossing utility knives up to flight attendants so they could cut seat belts and free stuck passengers.

In my car, it’s possible to apply so much tension to the seat belt that it’s impossible to unlatch it using the standard push-button mechanism:

  1. move power seat all the way back.
  2. pull seat belt as snug as possible manually.
  3. jerk seat belt quickly to lock it.
  4. move power seat forward until desired tension is achieved.

I attended an autocross event several years ago, and found that this worked great for locking me firmly in my seat, but I was rather startled to discover that the only way I could remove the seat belt was to slide my seat back first, relieving tension on the release mechanism and allowing it to function. Thinking of how things on a car get bent and wracked in a collision, it seems to me that a seat belt cutter, stored within reach of the driver, would be a wise investment.

But I’m wondering whether this is also true for passenger seat belts on commercial aircraft. Even if the seat belt is carrying substantial preload, the industry-standard lever release mechanism provides a lot more leverage than a car’s push-button release mechanism; it’s possible to get all four fingers under that lever and pull like a mofo.

Question: is it really possible to pretension a commercial airliner passenger’s seat belt so much that it’s impossible to activate the release mechanism?

2

The person is hurt, or jammed in a position that they, nor the helper, can reach the release?

See that picture of the inside seats? Add people into it and “Get me out of here, HELP.”

Your seat latch may vary.

3

No airline seatbelt I’ve ever used had a tensioner, and the mechanism is a highly jam-resistant “clamshell” type like those used in some racing harnesses. Pulling on the fairly large release latch works against the jam, not with it.

4

They sell emergency car window breakers that often include seatbelt cutters as a built-in feature. Here’s an example:

5

You will also have situations where cutting belts is more appropriate to minimize further injury while removing them.