Jet Evacuation Raises Questions About Safety-Certification Tests

"In its certification test, Airbus was required to prove that its A350 aircraft can be evacuated in less than 90 seconds. In Tuesday's collision in Japan, the last crew member escaped the aircraft after 18 minutes -- but there were still no casualties.

The sizable discrepancy represents a puzzle for the industry: Does the safe and deliberate evacuation represent a triumph of new aircraft designs and improved procedures? Or was it a one-off, a fortunate confluence of events that doubles as a cautionary tale showing how tough it is to quickly evacuate modern aircraft?

Experts are applauding Japan Airlines' cabin crew and passengers for escaping the burning plane without loss of life before its fuselage collapsed.

"Even though it did take longer, it was a very organized and a very orderly evacuation, and it was impressive," said Anthony Brickhouse, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and director of its forensic crash lab.

"The 90-second rule is there for a reason, because that aircraft can obviously be incinerated in seconds," said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a union that represents cabin crew at several airlines. "The flight attendants appear to perform their jobs perfectly, but the question remains what was that configuration of the cabin? How close were the seats together? And who was on board?"

Current standards set by regulators including the Federal Aviation Administration and its European counterpart require manufacturers to demonstrate that passengers can evacuate within 90 seconds under conditions that are meant to simulate real life.

The tests are an expensive and critical piece of the certification process. Airbus and Boeing recruit hundreds of members of the public to act as passengers with at least 40% of the participants required to be female, 35% over the age of 50 and a minimum 15% both female and over 50. Three life-size dolls must be carried to simulate real infants aged 2 years or younger.

Cabin luggage, blankets and pillows are also required to be strewn across the floor to create obstructions, and the lighting must be dimmed to simulate the conditions of a catastrophic event. Only half the aircraft's exits can be used.

Tuesday's evacuation in Tokyo looked very different. Only two of the plane's exits at the front and one at the back were initially deemed safe -- one less than the total used in the certification tests. The aircraft also had a high-density configuration, capable of carrying 391 passengers, compared with the standard 300 to 350 seats.

Part of Tuesday's success was the design of the A350 and the strict rules and measures used to deter the spread of flames across an aircraft, said Cristian Sutter, a cabin-design specialist who led the team that developed the interiors for British Airways' A350 fleet. "The design, certification, materials and the lessons learned from previous accidents -- what those do is buy you more time to evacuate," he said. "Those requirements bought enough time for an evacuation that was longer than the regulations require."

"You can look at it two ways: Why did it take so long? 18 minutes is unacceptable; or: Even with 18 minutes taking too long, everyone onboard was saved," he said, adding that the pace a fire spreads across an aircraft is different in every incident. "In a different kind of accident, that time might not be there."

Consumer groups and lawmakers have long been skeptical that the regulators' requirements for certification tests ensures speedy evacuations under real-world conditions.

Planes have gotten bigger since such demonstrations were introduced following a 1965 crash in Salt Lake City. Passenger weight and girth have climbed, and seat spacing on many planes is tighter -- developments some have argued regulators haven't adequately considered.

The last update to evacuation requirements was in 2004, based largely on a 1991 crash between a Boeing 737 that was landing at Los Angeles International and a small twin turboprop that was waiting to take off. The crash killed 12 people aboard the smaller aircraft and 23 of the 89 crew and passengers on the 737. Most died from smoke inhalation while waiting to exit." [1]

1. World News: Jet Evacuation Raises Questions About Safety-Certification Tests. Katz, Benjamin; Sider, Alison.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Jan 2024: A.8.