Preflighting Your Passenger for Water Flight

By Amy LabodaASC

Tampa FSDO

Passenger Preflight—Seating

• Assess via weight and balance• Determine who can sit right seat

with minimum pilot interference

Assess who can open an exit if called upon to do so

• Determine who can exit with emergency gear (raft)

• Explain how to use it

Your Speech

• If you’ve been flying on airlines (or for them) you know it by heart

• How to don the PFD (should be wearing if over water time starts immediately after takeoff)

• How to use PFD• Pouch or Airline

type?

How to buckle and unbuckle a seat belt

• How to open and close doors and windows

• Location and operation of the fire extinguisher

• How to operate seats, forward and backward, to enhance egress.

• That the seat back should be upright for takeoff and landing.

• The location of each normal and emergency exit.

• The operation of each normal and emergency exit by explanation and demonstration

• To leave carry-on items behind• To establish "situational awareness."

Bracing positions for a hard landing

Survival Tools to have attached to you (or a passenger)

Statistics Don’t Lie• 95% of accidents in the water are

survivable-as far as the landing impact goes…

• Nearly as many passengers survive aircraft accidents in general

• When interviewed, an overwhelming majority of passengers say that they remembered the preflight briefing given by the pilot/flight attendant and it saved their lives.

•Smoking

•Seat belts / Shoulder Harnesses

•Seats

•Exits

•Carry Ons

•Situational Awareness

•Flotation Gear

•Fire Extinguishers

•Survival Equipment

•ELT

•Brace position

A Sample Checklist