Brace position

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Brace position on an in-flight safety demonstration video.
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Brace position on an in-flight safety demonstration video.

To brace or crash position can be an instruction to prepare for a crash, such as on an aircraft, the instruction to brace for impact is often given if the aircraft must make an emergency landing over land or water.

The brace procedure for the forward facing seat consists of the person tucking their feet firmly behind their knees - this prevents the legs flailing around in front of them on impact, and placing their head forward and close to their knees if the seatback in front of the person is not reachable, or having the hands and arms to support the head, resting on the seatback if it is reachable. Usually, most experts will say that maximum protection for a forward facing seat is when the passenger is able to pre-position their head on the surface they are likely to impact (e.g. seatback or bulkhead), as the risk of head trauma is significantly reduced during the crash. Reducing head trauma may also help the passenger stay conscious, which is also essential for rapid evacuation after the crash.

There have been myth surrounding the use of the brace procedure, namely that adopting the brace procedure is only useful for preserving dental integrity for identification after a crash. Another myth is that the position is designed to increase the chance of death to reduce insurance-paid medical cost. However, instances where the brace procedure has been adopted have been shown to save lives. In one accident, passengers were asleep on an aircraft that was about to collide with trees. One passenger awoke and adopted the procedure, and he was the only survivor[1]. All passengers aboard Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751, which crashed, survived due to adoption of the brace position[2].

Many government aviation administrations or regulatory bodies mandate the depiction of how to adopt the brace position on aircraft safety cards and in-flight safety demonstrations, such as a 1993 ruling by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (issued in a Notice to Air Operator Certificate Holders 1993)[3], or, for example, in CAO 020.11 (section 14.1.3)[4](pdf), issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia.

The depiction of how to adopt the brace position is not a basic standard set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization. While many regulatory bodies have adopted this addition on their own (as noted above), the FAA has not required it on flights to, from, or within the United States.

In an unexpected emergency on a passenger aircraft where an impact may be possible, cabin crew are trained to recognize such situtations (e.g. flight attendants sense that the take-off is not going as usual) and shout commands to passengers, such as "Bend Over!", or "Emergency! Grab your ankles!". In a planned emergency, the cabin crew can first give a briefing to passengers on how to properly adopt the brace position. Before the emergency landing, the flight deck usually gives a pre-arranged signal (such as the command, "Brace, Brace" over the public announcement system or flashing the fasten seat-belt sign several times), whereupon the cabin crew will shout commands to passengers to adopt the brace position, such as "Brace! Stay Down!" or "Heads Down, Stay Down!".

In the 1989 Boeing 737-400 Kegworth air disaster crash, the pilot was able to announce, "Prepare for crash landing" 10 seconds before impact; the resulting injuries-- from both those who did and did not adopt the brace position-- would later be studied to provide further research on this topic (see "Further Reading" below).

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

  • White BD, Firth JL, Rowles JM. "The effects of brace position on injuries sustained in the M1 Boeing 737/400 disaster, January 1989". NLDB Study Group. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1993 Feb;64(2):103-9.
  • Brownson P, Wallace WA, Anton DJ. "A modified crash brace position for aircraft passengers." Aviat Space Environ Med. 1998 Oct;69(10):975-8.
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