# Would you die instantly in a plane crash? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218 "2006-10-28T08:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/61 "2006-10-31T20:20:40Z")
I do think most people in a major inflight event would be unconscious for 2 reasons… either shock from the sheer terror of the event, or being knocked out by a blast of 600MPH wind suddenly blasting through the cabin. Pressure and temp might have contributions, but I think they’d be minor compared to those shocks ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/62 "2006-10-31T20:51:46Z")
[QUOTE=Brain Wreck] I do think most people in a major inflight event would be unconscious for 2 reasons… either shock from the sheer terror of the event, or being knocked out by a blast of 600MPH wind suddenly blasting through the cabin. Pressure and temp might have contributions, but I think they’d be minor compared to those shocks [/QUOTE] Also, remember, everything in the cabin becomes a projectile: trays, luggage, books, unstrapped-in people . . . There’s a good chance of your being taken out by flying objects pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/63 "2006-10-31T20:56:50Z")
If it’s any consolation, if you did survive the impact you probably wouldn’t know it. My dad survived a plane crash. He never lost consciousness, but he doesn’t remember the impact, the trip to the hospital or laying there for two days. He does remember the subsequent three months in traction, but that’s a different story. As far as passing out from lack of O[sub]2[/sub], I can tell you that if you are scared and above 13,000-14,000 feet, you can pass out. I would elaborate, but I don’t want to turn this into another “make fun of Brewha for being a dumbass” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/64 "2006-10-31T21:20:50Z")
Wait, I don’t understand the contention that at high altitudes you’ve only got 9-12 seconds of userful consciousness. I can hold my breath for longer than 12 seconds. Is the oxygen getting removed from your blood faster than when you’re just holding your breath? I don’t see how that can be the case. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/65 "2006-10-31T21:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Wait, I don’t understand the contention that at high altitudes you’ve only got 9-12 seconds of userful consciousness. I can hold my breath for longer than 12 seconds. Is the oxygen getting removed from your blood faster than when you’re just holding your breath? I don’t see how that can be the case. [/QUOTE] The article does mention you can last longer by holding your breath. It doesn’t really say why, but I’d say it is probably because the partial pressure of oxygen in your blood is higher than what is in the air, thus if the pressure drops in your lungs, all gases would tend to diffuse out of the blood, instead of the usual CO2. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/66 "2006-10-31T21:30:32Z")
If I take a nice deep breath of sea level air, I can hold it for more than a minute. If you took a breath before the plane lost cabin pressure you’d probably be better off. Try expelling all the air out of your lungs and not taking another breath. It takes me about 10 secs for that to be uncomfortable and I’m not moving or panicking. On preview - Yeah, what Brain Wreck said. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/67 "2006-10-31T21:47:35Z")
OK, that’s what I wasn’t getting…that you probably aren’t starting off with a lung full of sea-level air. Yeah, if you exhale as strongly as possible, at about 15 seconds it becomes intolerable. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/68 "2006-10-31T23:14:29Z")
Ah, guys holding your breath while the cabin pressure falls is a really bad idea. As the pressure in the cabin falls, the air in your lungs expands. If you have a lung full of air it does not take too much expansion before things start to tear. This is the same as a SCUBA diver holding his breath on asscent. According to this [link](http://www.scuba-doc.com/artgsemb.htm) a difference of 10 kPA can cause Arterial Gas Embolism. Ten kPA is 1.45 PSI, not a large difference. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/69 "2006-11-02T02:36:10Z")
[QUOTE=Tom Ripley] Damnit, i wish i could edit that. [/QUOTE] No way! It was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/70 "2006-11-02T03:02:08Z")
[QUOTE=brewha] I would elaborate, but I don’t want to turn this into another “make fun of Brewha for being a dumbass” thread. [/QUOTE] Just for that, I’m startin a new thread. ---
**Author:** ![Aunt\_Flow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Aunt\_Flow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aunt_Flow)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/71 "2006-11-02T03:10:39Z")
Holy crap guys…here I am trying to overcome a fear of flying and I stupidly click on this link. \>,\< I feel almost as scarred now as I did when I saw the opening scene of Final Destination. Scarred…for life… ---
**Author:** ![dogface12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@dogface12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogface12)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/72 "2013-12-07T06:07:37Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I thought the question in the OP was more along the lines of, “If you hit something at 500 mph, would you feel anything?” > > In other words, is there a moment of perception of blinding pain perhaps, or the feeling that you’re being crushed or something? > > I’m pretty sure the answer is no. The destruction of the brain happens faster than our ability to perceive it. There’s no time of any coherent thought to form along the lines of “I’m being crushed!”. > > So I think the answer is that if you were reading a book or something and your plane hit a brick wall, you’d never know it. It woud be like a light being switch off. I believe this is related, in a way. I did not hit the ground at 500 mph, but I was hit with a projectile going about 1250 fps. Let’s assume dieing instantly is no more then a half a second, which mostly likely alot longer then you’d be alive after hitting something at 500 mph. You are absolutely not going to feel anything. Your brain, body, deals with sudden trama by going into shock. With a serious gunshot, you have shock, unconscientiousness, death. Being unaware of the impending doom is the best way to go. I was on a flight once from Atlanta, GA to Gainesville, FL on a 28 passenger turboprop plane when the pilot announced that there was something wrong with the plane. At which time we made a sharp turn and starting slowly desending to the trees. By the time we got back to the airport I swear you could have reach out the window and ran your hand across the top of the trees. From the time of the pilot’s announcment until we landed was about 25 minutes. I would have thought, that like the movies, eberyone would be screaming, but no, it was toally silent. Point being, that 25 minutes was damn scary. The crash would have killed us in seconds, but the horror of waiting was terrible frightening. There is, as I learned, a great difference between being scared you are going to die and being almost certain you are going to. You become very introspective. The choice now comes down to, dieing instantly with no pain and just being shut off like a light switch, or having a few seconds to pray and saying one last good-bye. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/73 "2013-12-07T06:49:40Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > If your plane is above about 15,000 feet, you wouldn’t remain conscious for more than a few seconds. > > Also, hitting water from a height, is no different than hitting concrete. True, but it isn’t uncommon to regain consciousness as you loose altitude and enter breathable air. I’ve read many accounts of pilots/crew from WWII where they bailed out above 20,000 feet, passed out and came to on the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/74 "2013-12-07T11:28:33Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > There is a video of the Mt Erebus disaster of twenty or thirty years ago. The video was being shot inside the passenger compartment when the plane hit the mountain, and the tape survived. Basically, there were people just laughing and talking, and then there was a white flash that lasts half a second, and the tape ends. At those sort of speeds, I doubt you’d know much about anything. > > Of course, that’s a controlled flight at speed, straight into a mountainside. Falling from Flight Level 38 out of control, with the cabin looking like the hysteria scene in _Airport_ - now _that_ would be my fear. You’d have time to contemplate what was going to happen. Not to sound morbid, but is that video available online? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/75 "2013-12-07T11:38:32Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Not to sound morbid, but is that video available online? Keep in mind that this thread is 7 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/76 "2013-12-07T12:02:48Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Keep in mind that this thread is 7 years old. Yeah my bad, I was searching about Lockerbie and I stumbled onto this thread, and was then curious about the Erebus footage :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/77 "2013-12-07T15:48:05Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > True, but it isn’t uncommon to regain consciousness as you loose altitude and enter breathable air. Note that in this zombie thread the notion that at 15,000’ you lose consciousness in seconds was debunked, and this was accepted by **picunurse**. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/78 "2013-12-07T19:22:59Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > You mean like [Alaska Air 261?](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/january00/alaskaair_2-1.html) > > In the ongoing battle between tubes of aluminum going hundreds of miles an hour, and the earth. The earth has yet to lose. A very good thing for pilots to remember. Actually I think they do but some of the newer dare devils… no so much. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/79 "2013-12-07T21:02:18Z")
I’ve always wondered what prompts someone to register here just to add their 2 cents to a years-old topic… ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218/80 "2013-12-08T03:04:18Z")
> [@saje](#): > > I’ve always wondered what prompts someone to register here just to add their 2 cents to a years-old topic… Whether the thread is seven years old or one hour, it can be just as fresh to someone who hasn’t read it, as I hadn’t. Had dogface12 not replied to it, I wouldn’t have found it, so I’m glad dogface did. I always wondered what prompts someone to insult a newcomer by adding a gratuitous 2 cents. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-die-instantly-in-a-plane-crash/378218.md?page=5)