# Surviving a fall from a commercial airliner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654 "2003-04-28T13:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/1 "2003-04-28T13:12:27Z")
Flying home from Phoenix recently I was wondering the probability of surviving a fall from a commercial airliner cruising at 37,000 feet. I’d imagine one would be doomed anyway you cut it, right? There are accounts - such as the one below - of people surviving tremendous falls. The Yugoslavian stewardess who fell 33k feet into a snow covered forrest in Czechoslovakia survivied. So what would the factors be of survival ? If I fell from into water? Nope crushed. Into a flat plane? same, crushed. into a grove a trees? Hmmm. Not sure. If I wasn’t impaled immediately, serves to reckon the branches would breaK some of my fall right? This is what the Guinness Book of Records has to say: > [@](#): > > It is estimated that the human body reaches 99% of its low-level terminal velocity after falling 573m 1880ft which takes 13-14 sec. This is 117-125mph at normal atmospheric pressure and in a random posture. > > (At the 1100 ft Emley Moor TV mast near me they reckon that you would reach terminal velocity (great term) well before hitting the ground) > > Longest fall without a parachute: > > World: Vesna Vulovic (Yugoslavia, wherever that is now), stewardess in a DC-9 which blew up at 10160m 33330ft over Serbska Kamenice, Czechoslovakia, 26 Jan 1972. > > UK: Flt-Sgt Nicholas Steven Alkemade (d. 22 Jun 1987) from a blazing Lancaster bomber at 5485m 18000ft over Germany (near Oberkuerchen) on 23 Mar 1944. > > On a mathematical note, the acceleration force is always constant, whereas the drag increases as the square of the speed. The line reaches an asymptote at about 125mph. Interestingly though, it is actually the 0mph bit at the end which actually kills you. So, how to survive a fall from a commercial airliner? Any Ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/2 "2003-04-28T13:23:12Z")
Flap your arms reeeeeeaaally fast. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/3 "2003-04-28T13:28:34Z")
Land on a steep, smooth slope covered with thick (but not compacted)snow. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/4 "2003-04-28T14:07:59Z")
I remember, during my misspent youth, reading a Reader’s Digest article entitled “I Fell From 12,000 feet - And Lived!” (You gotta love RD’s titles!) The story was of a WWII tailgunner, whose bomber was shot down. The tailgun position was so cramped that he couldn’t wear a parachute; it was stored nearby. When the order came to bail out, he extricated himself from the tailgunner spot only to find his parachute in flames. Given the choice between burning and jumping, he chose to jump, expecting at best a quick death. However, he landed in a forested area where tall fir trees were heavily laden with snow. Passing through the snow-covered branches slowed him enough so that the landing in deep snow was not fatal. He survived with two broken legs and relatively minor other problems. His biggest trouble was convincing the Germans who took him prisoner that he had, in fact, bailed out and was entitled to POW treatment, instead of being a ground-based spy and being shot for his troubles. It made for an exciting read, and the veracity of his story cannot possibly be contested, given that it came from such an authoritative source. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/5 "2003-04-28T14:08:26Z")
And at the top of that freshly snow covered slope is a stack of hay. Aim for that. It’s important to note however, the movies may have you convinced that you must complete a tuck and roll manouver. Don’t. You’re going too fast. You are better off landing on all fours, with your legs slightly bent. The more force that is spent shattering the bones in your arms and legs, the less force left over for your skull and torso. IIRC, a WWII fighter pilot survived a great fall by hitting a pine tree and taking out the branches as he fell. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/6 "2003-04-28T14:10:02Z")
Pilot, tailgunner, same thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Agback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Agback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agback)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/7 "2003-04-28T14:40:18Z")
G’day Although this \<[http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0103/freefall/](http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0103/freefall/)\> is a humorous article, light in tone, it does give the good oil. Regards, Agback ---
**Author:** ![Inoshiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Inoshiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inoshiro)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/8 "2003-04-28T15:11:56Z")
This thread reminds me of a song I heard back around 1985-1990 or so by the ultra-weird techno musician Lori Anderson. Most of her stuff was in the form of a “story-song” (not much actual singing). Anyway, she has this one tune about how, in WWII, certain pilots fell out of planes over deep snow in Finland. They survived the fall only to have the Finnish farmers come out in their snowshoes and fire their shotguns down the holes in the deep snow at them. I don’t know if the little story was true - but it sure made a good creepy techno tune.😃 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/9 "2003-04-28T15:13:31Z")
Nice article. ---
**Author:** ![Agback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Agback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agback)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/10 "2003-04-28T15:47:53Z")
Oops! That was the condensed version. The material we want is at \<[http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/carkeet.html](http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/carkeet.html)\>: it includes a version of the humorous article, but also some subsidiary pages on people who have survived long falls. Regards, Agback ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/11 "2003-04-29T03:35:39Z")
I can’t remember the details, but I remember reading a story about someone who fell because his chute failed (I think). He had been trained as a military jumper, although this jump was long after his military career had ended. The article described that he had been taught there were 5 contact points along the body that you want to try and roll on to disperse the energy properly. The guy said he broke all 5 points so he figured he must have done it right. If you want to dramatically increase your odds of survival you might want to do some research into exactly what this landing technique is. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/12 "2003-04-29T04:14:37Z")
Ooh! I remembers the same RD article **BrotherCadfael**! And yes, it’s was a very boring Sunday afternoon:D Okay, basic physics time lad and laddets for the minimum ‘run out’ distance: V^2 = u^2 + 2 ad (assuming linear decelleration) V = 120 mph, about 200 kph, or 54m/s) a = 40 g’s (assumed maximum decelleration on a human body without killing it, number pulled out of my ass) From this the distance of decelleration is about 36 metres, or 118 feet in Patriot units. [Aside] Anyone know the true maximum g’s the body can withstand before instant death? I’m not talking about flight related blackouts, I’m allowing for blackouts, broken bones, etc. In practice? Well, aim for a large patch of trees on a steep slope and try to hit every branch on the way down. Not pretty, but who knows? May work. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/13 "2003-04-29T04:20:09Z")
Oh, and in that equation u=0, since we want to stop… ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/14 "2003-04-29T04:26:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rabid\_Squirrel \* > V = 120 mph, about 200 kph, or 54m/s) > a = 40 g’s > > From this the distance of decelleration is about 36 metres, or 118 feet in Patriot units. Using those numbers, I get 3.6 meters, or 12 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/15 "2003-04-29T04:58:37Z")
My Dad, a former Marine parachutist, once mused that falling through the top of a triple canopy rainforest might be able to slow a person down enough to survive in this kind of situation. Even if it would certainly break, and possibly tear off, your arms and legs. So, you’d need some “Bactine”, too. ---
**Author:** ![Qis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Qis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qis)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/16 "2003-04-29T06:13:31Z")
i’ve thought about this before while walking down the road, and i pass a fair few churches on the way. How about sticking your arm out to impale on the spire ( at such a point that the arm tears rather than rips off ) adn then riding down the slope of the church roof, which is pretty steep( hopefully stopping a the bottom with a re-assuring crunch and lots of blood) i’m sick. i’ve heard about guys falling huge distances ( unbeliveable distances ) on tv ( no cite) but i think for most of them its a case of \* my 'chute didn’t deploy ‘properly’( got tangled up ) so that’s no help. i do remebr watchign something about a guy who survuived a tandum jump from a plane. i dotn know the situation of the 'chute, but he survived adn crushed his instructor that was under him on impact. he said teh instructor forced his way under to take teh impact. me not-so-sure, perhaps mid-air grappling all teh way down trying to force the other underneath? me = no help ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/17 "2003-04-29T06:44:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*My Dad, a former Marine parachutist, once mused that falling through the top of a triple canopy rainforest might be able to slow a person down enough to survive in this kind of situation. Even if it would certainly break, and possibly tear off, your arms and legs. > > So, you’d need some “Bactine”, too. \*\* I read an article about a girl who did exactly that. Somehow a hole was bloen in the side of the planed, and she was forced out. (still in her seat) She passed out in midair, and awoke later, still in her seat sitting in a tree. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-fall-from-a-commercial-airliner/171654/18 "2003-04-29T12:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Rabid\_Squirrel_ > **Ooh! I remembers the same RD article BrotherCadfael! And yes, it’s was a very boring Sunday afternoon** I think I saw it at my grandmother’s house…