Inflatable Emergency Equipment I: Evaluation of Individual Inflatable Aviation Life Preserver Donning Tests

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute2014PDFTech ReportCorbett, Cynthia L.Weed , David BRuppel, David J.Larcher, Kenneth G.McLean, G. A.United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Office of Aerospace MedicineUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited StatesAviation safetyDitchingLife preserversPerformanceStandardsTest proceduresHuman factorsInflatable EquipmentEmergency Water LandingDonning TimeDOT/FAA/AM-14/14Final ReportThe emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January 2009 brought significant attention to the usability of aviation inflatable life preservers. In its accident investigation report (NTSB/AAR-10/03), the National Transportation Safety Board noted that of those passengers who retrieved aviation life preservers following the emergency landing, the majority indicated that they had difficulty donning them. They also found that the preflight safety briefing had not included life preserver donning information or a donning demonstration because the flight was not an extended overwater operation.115