The surface tension of water makes hitting it the equivalent of hitting concrete. Planes, unless gently and perfectly pancaked into the water, tend to cartwheel and tear themselves apart. Once stopped you need to get out of a sinking plane.
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Surviving a Plane CrashThe first concern of a crash over the open ocean is, of course, surviving the plane crash itself. And the odds of surviving are surprisingly good. More than 95 percent of the airplane passengers involved in an airplane crash survive, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In some cases, such as the “Miracle on the Hudson”, the aircraft is ditched without major damage and it may actually float for some time. Eventually, all of them will sink. A “crash” implies an uncontrolled landing in which the aircraft is significantly damaged and will quickly sink.
Most flights are intended to spend as little time as possible over water, since storms are more common over the ocean than on land. An aircraft would not be safe to fly over the Pacific Ocean due to the stormy weather and frequent lightning strikes that occur there.
More than 150 planes are thought to lie at the bed of the ocean, 130-feet underwater. The planes discovered include American aircrafts the TBF and TBM Avengers, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and the F4U Corsair.
Jet streams, which are a system of air currents that circle the Earth many miles above the planet's surface, are another reason why aircraft don't fly over the Pacific Ocean. Due to Earth's rotation, these air currents often move from West to East.
When flying over land, of course it is more likely that there will be more airfields closer to the aircraft at any given time. However, because of lessons learned from its history and the improvements in aircraft and engine reliability, crossing the oceans is deemed as safe as flying over land.
United flight's plunge toward the ocean was caused by pilot error, NTSB says. A 2022 incident where a United Airlines flight came within 748 feet of crashing into the Pacific Ocean was caused by pilot error, federal investigators say.
In reality, passengers will be told about any emergency or serious malfunction. And most non-serious ones too. If you're informed about a landing gear issue, pressurization problem, engine trouble, or the need for a precautionary landing, do not construe this to be a lifeor-death situation.
Families of victims and survivors may bring a lawsuit against the airline or aircraft. In some cases, it may be appropriate to sue a parts manufacturer. The federal government provides support to the families of those injured in airplane crashes.
In case of an emergency landing it is nearly always better to chose land for your landing rather than water. This is particularly true for the only plane I fly these days that has fixed landing gear. Landing any plane with extended landing gear on water is certain to be a disaster.
The engines would still be ripped off, baggage hold doors would most likely open on impact. There would have to be some kind of debris field. The plane would sink, but not intact. Something would come free and float to the surface.
The danger with flying commercial aircraft over the region is that, should any aircraft crash or have an emergency landing, it would undoubtedly damage the precious ecosystem. Furthermore, the side effects of increased pollution in this region could prove destructive for natural habitats.
The longest over water route in the world is the stretch between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even between Hawaii and Tokyo there are alternate airports available, such as Midway Island (hence the name “Midway”). Going across the North Atlantic, alternates include Iceland and Greenland.
Aerodynamic altitude: If a commercial airliner flies too high, it will encounter less dense air passing over the wings to create lift. This can cause the plane to stall and fall out of control. Depending on the weather conditions and aircraft weight, this can occur anywhere between 40,000 and 45,000 feet.