Thanks for those that provided useful information in the other thread. Here's what I have so far and plan to have laminated someday:
I. Introduction
Hi there. If you are reading this then I am probably dead and you just survived a plane crash. Feel free to spit on my corpse for putting you in this situation, but make sure I really am dead before you start kicking me. If not, I may decide to come back to haunt you in the afterlife. The good news is that if you've gotten this far then you still have a great chance of getting out of this situation alive. However, there are still a few things you will need to do. In order of priority, they are: (S)tabilize, (A)ssess, (G)ather and (A)ct.
II. Stabilize
Your first priority is to stabilize the situation. Get everybody out of the airplane if you can. Make sure all the switches in the airplane are in the "off" position. This includes the fuel selector switch. Grab the fire extinguisher from the cabin. If you need to use it then remove the safety pin by pulling the ring, point the nozzle at the fire and squeeze the trigger. Parts of the plane may become useful later on so try not to let it burn up if you can. Also, make sure your evacuation area is relatively safe.
III. Assess and Report Your Situation
Now is the time to make a more general assessment of your situation and attempt rescue communication. Now is also the time to administer first-aid to anybody who needs it, including yourself. The things you need to check are ABCDE: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. If a person is disabled, make sure to check on them regularly to verify whether their condition is worsening or not. When you assess exposure, make sure to identify any injuries hidden by clothing. Also assess whether exposure to mother nature is going to be a problem.
If it is safe to approach the airplane then look on the instrument panel for an activation switch for the ELT or Emergency Locator Transmitter and activate it. There should be a light to indicate that it is on. Grab the handheld radio from my flight bag and turn it on by twisting the top knob clockwise all the way. Tune it to the emergency frequency of 121.5Mhz by typing "1215" on the keypad and verify that the display says "121.500Mhz". You should hear a continuous alarm sound. That is the ELT. If you don't hear it then look for an access panel marked "ELT" between the rear baggage area and the tail and try to find the ELT box itself. There should be a backup activation switch on the ELT box so turn it on. You might want to locate the ELT box even if it is activated to make sure the antenna hasn't become detached. If it has then re-attach it. If you can't get the ELT to activate then don't freak out. I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve.
Grab a pen and paper from my flight bag and write down:
Check all of our cellphones and whether any have a signal. If one of them does, call 911 and relay all of the information you wrote down. If none of them have a signal then turn them all off for now except for the one with the most battery. Leave that one on even if it doesn't have a signal. Rescuers can still use it to locate you. When it runs out of battery, turn on the next one and so on.
If you can't reach 911 and the ELT is not active then you can still use the handheld radio to call for help. Press and hold the talk switch on the side, verify that the "Tx" indicator is activated when you pressed the switch and talk into it. Make sure the microphone is as close to your lips as possible. When you are done talking make sure to let go of the talk switch, otherwise you won't be able to hear your rescuers. If after several attempts you can't reach anyone then turn off the radio to conserve batteries. If it is safe, try using the radio in the airplane to call for help. If you still can't get anyone, wait for a plane to fly overhead. When you do see a plane, turn the radio back on and try to call them for help on 121.5Mhz. If the handheld radio runs out of batteries then there is a spare battery pack in my flight bag that you can use.
IV. Gather
If it is safe to approach the airplane, grab everything you can from it. This includes the axe under the co-pilot's seat, the fire extinguisher and the box of oil in the baggage compartment. Also look around you for rocks, branches, leaves, etc to make a shelter and/or fire ring. It will take an average of 12-18 hours to rescue you, so you'll want as much stuff as you can to make yourself comfortable while you wait. Here is a list of other things you'll find in this flight bag: TBD.
V. Act
If you can, stay near the airplane. A few reasons you may not want to is if the terrain is unstable, shelter isn't easy or trees are making the area invisible from air rescue when there is an open meadow nearby. Unless civilization is very close, your best chances are staying near the airplane. If you do need to walk out, try to find a river or creek and follow it downstream because that is often where you can find people. If there is some higher terrain nearby, you might want to go there temporarily to get a better signal on a cell phone or the radio. Don't go too far, though.
If you cannot use the airplane as shelter, my flight bag contains a lanyard/necklace woven from 6 feet of paracord. Unbraid it. Inside the paracord sheath are 7 strands of yarn. Use the Leatherman knife to cut off both ends of the paracord and pull out the yarn. Including the sheath, you should now have about 48 feet of string to use as you please. You can also use the axe to hack pieces of the plane to use as shelter.
If you need to build a fire, first create a safe area so that you don't start a wildfire. My flight bag has matches and you can pour out some engine oil into the firepit to help start a fire. You can also use the fuel sample cup to drain some fuel from tanks like you saw me do during preflight. Keep in mind that a fire might help rescuers find you so try to keep it going if you can.
If there is food available, try to not eat too much unless you have an adequate supply of water. Digestion takes water and you need water more than food. A person can go 3 minutes without air, 3 days witout water and 3 weeks without food. My flight bag has a "Life Straw" that you can use to filter water. Don't hesitate to use it.
Look through your supplies for colorful blankets or clothing and set it out to make yourself easier to see from air rescue. If you see an air rescue unit nearby grab the Pentatonix CD from my flight bag to use as a signaling mirror. With the label facing you, look through the hole and aim it back and forth between the sun and the rescuer. If it is nighttime, use the flashlight from my flightbag. If you think ground rescue units are nearby don't shout for them. Save your breath by using the whistle from my flight bag.
I. Introduction
Hi there. If you are reading this then I am probably dead and you just survived a plane crash. Feel free to spit on my corpse for putting you in this situation, but make sure I really am dead before you start kicking me. If not, I may decide to come back to haunt you in the afterlife. The good news is that if you've gotten this far then you still have a great chance of getting out of this situation alive. However, there are still a few things you will need to do. In order of priority, they are: (S)tabilize, (A)ssess, (G)ather and (A)ct.
II. Stabilize
Your first priority is to stabilize the situation. Get everybody out of the airplane if you can. Make sure all the switches in the airplane are in the "off" position. This includes the fuel selector switch. Grab the fire extinguisher from the cabin. If you need to use it then remove the safety pin by pulling the ring, point the nozzle at the fire and squeeze the trigger. Parts of the plane may become useful later on so try not to let it burn up if you can. Also, make sure your evacuation area is relatively safe.
III. Assess and Report Your Situation
Now is the time to make a more general assessment of your situation and attempt rescue communication. Now is also the time to administer first-aid to anybody who needs it, including yourself. The things you need to check are ABCDE: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. If a person is disabled, make sure to check on them regularly to verify whether their condition is worsening or not. When you assess exposure, make sure to identify any injuries hidden by clothing. Also assess whether exposure to mother nature is going to be a problem.
If it is safe to approach the airplane then look on the instrument panel for an activation switch for the ELT or Emergency Locator Transmitter and activate it. There should be a light to indicate that it is on. Grab the handheld radio from my flight bag and turn it on by twisting the top knob clockwise all the way. Tune it to the emergency frequency of 121.5Mhz by typing "1215" on the keypad and verify that the display says "121.500Mhz". You should hear a continuous alarm sound. That is the ELT. If you don't hear it then look for an access panel marked "ELT" between the rear baggage area and the tail and try to find the ELT box itself. There should be a backup activation switch on the ELT box so turn it on. You might want to locate the ELT box even if it is activated to make sure the antenna hasn't become detached. If it has then re-attach it. If you can't get the ELT to activate then don't freak out. I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve.
Grab a pen and paper from my flight bag and write down:
- Your name
- Your location as best as you can remember but you can also check your phone or iPad too (try the compass app if you have one for GPS coordinates).
- Any other location details you can think of such as "on a south facing slope"or "near a small lake"
- The number of people that were on board the airplane and the extent of our injuries.
- The color of the airplane and the color of any bright clothing, blankets, etc you might have available.
- Whether you'll start a fire or walk to a nearby road or stay put.
- Your emergency contact people.
Check all of our cellphones and whether any have a signal. If one of them does, call 911 and relay all of the information you wrote down. If none of them have a signal then turn them all off for now except for the one with the most battery. Leave that one on even if it doesn't have a signal. Rescuers can still use it to locate you. When it runs out of battery, turn on the next one and so on.
If you can't reach 911 and the ELT is not active then you can still use the handheld radio to call for help. Press and hold the talk switch on the side, verify that the "Tx" indicator is activated when you pressed the switch and talk into it. Make sure the microphone is as close to your lips as possible. When you are done talking make sure to let go of the talk switch, otherwise you won't be able to hear your rescuers. If after several attempts you can't reach anyone then turn off the radio to conserve batteries. If it is safe, try using the radio in the airplane to call for help. If you still can't get anyone, wait for a plane to fly overhead. When you do see a plane, turn the radio back on and try to call them for help on 121.5Mhz. If the handheld radio runs out of batteries then there is a spare battery pack in my flight bag that you can use.
IV. Gather
If it is safe to approach the airplane, grab everything you can from it. This includes the axe under the co-pilot's seat, the fire extinguisher and the box of oil in the baggage compartment. Also look around you for rocks, branches, leaves, etc to make a shelter and/or fire ring. It will take an average of 12-18 hours to rescue you, so you'll want as much stuff as you can to make yourself comfortable while you wait. Here is a list of other things you'll find in this flight bag: TBD.
V. Act
If you can, stay near the airplane. A few reasons you may not want to is if the terrain is unstable, shelter isn't easy or trees are making the area invisible from air rescue when there is an open meadow nearby. Unless civilization is very close, your best chances are staying near the airplane. If you do need to walk out, try to find a river or creek and follow it downstream because that is often where you can find people. If there is some higher terrain nearby, you might want to go there temporarily to get a better signal on a cell phone or the radio. Don't go too far, though.
If you cannot use the airplane as shelter, my flight bag contains a lanyard/necklace woven from 6 feet of paracord. Unbraid it. Inside the paracord sheath are 7 strands of yarn. Use the Leatherman knife to cut off both ends of the paracord and pull out the yarn. Including the sheath, you should now have about 48 feet of string to use as you please. You can also use the axe to hack pieces of the plane to use as shelter.
If you need to build a fire, first create a safe area so that you don't start a wildfire. My flight bag has matches and you can pour out some engine oil into the firepit to help start a fire. You can also use the fuel sample cup to drain some fuel from tanks like you saw me do during preflight. Keep in mind that a fire might help rescuers find you so try to keep it going if you can.
If there is food available, try to not eat too much unless you have an adequate supply of water. Digestion takes water and you need water more than food. A person can go 3 minutes without air, 3 days witout water and 3 weeks without food. My flight bag has a "Life Straw" that you can use to filter water. Don't hesitate to use it.
Look through your supplies for colorful blankets or clothing and set it out to make yourself easier to see from air rescue. If you see an air rescue unit nearby grab the Pentatonix CD from my flight bag to use as a signaling mirror. With the label facing you, look through the hole and aim it back and forth between the sun and the rescuer. If it is nighttime, use the flashlight from my flightbag. If you think ground rescue units are nearby don't shout for them. Save your breath by using the whistle from my flight bag.
