All language subtitles for Air.Disasters.S05E09.Getting.Out.Alive.1080p.PMTP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-maldini_track3_[eng]

Man: All of a sudden
there was this gigantic boom.

Man: And all hell broke loose.

Man: Fire!

Man: I believed that
we were all gonna die.

Narrator: It's every
passenger's worst fear.

Man: We were in the water
up to our knees,

and it was just freezing cold.

Narrator: But many people
do live to tell the tale.

Woman: Absolutely
accidents are survivable.

Narrator:
The key is knowing what to do.

Woman: That's when you need
to have your wits about you.

Man: I know I need to figure out
where the exit rows are.

Narrator: And when to do it.

Flight attendant:
Evacuate now!

Woman: Because you never know.

It's right at
the very last second

that everything happens.

Flight attendant: Ladies and
gentlemen,

we are starting our approach.
- Pilot: We lost both engines!

Flight attendant:
Put the mask over your nose.

Emergency descent.
Pilot: Mayday, mayday.

Flight attendant:
Brace for impact!

Controller: I think I lost one.

Man: Investigation starting...

Man: He's gonna crash!

Narrator: July 6, 2013.

Aircraft debris
litters the main runway

at San Francisco
International Airport.

A burned-out hull
is all that's left

of Asiana Airlines flight 214,

after a devastating
crash landing.

Controller: Asiana 214,

heavy emergency vehicles
are responding.

We have everyone on their way.

Narrator: Cell phone video
captures the terrifying scene

moments after impact.

Ben levy: In your head,
everything goes into slow motion

and you just don't believe
it's happening.

You don't know
if you're gonna be dead

at the end of this
slow motion or not.

Narrator: The Asiana crew rushes
to get passengers off the plane.

Lee Yoon-Hye, translated:
My brain was very clear,

and I planned
what I had to do immediately.

Actually, I was not thinking,
but acting.

As soon as I heard
"Emergency escape,"

I conducted the evacuation.

Woman: In their mind,
it was like their training

was flashing in front of them.
It just became second nature.

Narrator: The Asiana evacuation
is remarkably successful.

Of the 307 people on board,

304 make it out alive...

Revealing a surprising truth

about serious
aviation accidents:

If you're ever in one,
chances are you'll survive.

Barbara Dunn: We know,
as a result of studies

that have been done,
that 80%, at least 80%

of the accidents are survivable.

Narrator: Barbara Dunn is
an aviation safety consultant

and former flight attendant.

Dunn: We take our job
very seriously.

We take our safety role
very seriously.

I think if you asked
any member of a cabin crew

what their primary function
on board the aircraft was,

they would tell you
that it was a safety role.

Narrator: But how do flight
attendants master that role?

How do they become
survival experts?

The answer is behind the doors

of a facility
passengers rarely get to see.

Richard Kubelka:
According to my practice,

the best training
is a practical training.

That's why there is a cabin
emergency evacuation trainer

of airbus 320.

Narrator: Richard Kubelka is
the chief cabin crew instructor

at the Czech Airlines
training center in Prague.

It's one of only a few
facilities in the industry

that offers realistic
cabin emergency training.

Kubelka: The cabin emergency
evacuation trainer

is not a real aircraft;
it's a mock-up, it's a model.

Narrator: The 28-ton simulator
has two emergency slides:

One at the forward door;
the other at the over-wing exit.

Inside, there are 40 seats

with overhead bins
and realistic lighting.

Kubelka: We can simulate
all kinds of flights:

A normal flight
or some non-standard situation.

Narrator:
Leading today's session

is cabin instructor
Tomas Chlupac.

Tomas Chlupac:
Take a seat, please.

Narrator: He is preparing
11 young flight attendants

for the worst.

Chlupac: All the training
and all the practical drills

have to be performed
quickly and safely.

Narrator: They'll take turns

being passengers
and crew members

on a series
of simulated disasters.

Kubelka: So, we are ready
for the flight.

I'm pressing start button.

That means the engines
are starting now.

Narrator: From the control room
at the back of the simulator,

Richard Kubelka
initiates a scenario.

Kubelka: We are now taking off.

Narrator: The simulator's
powerful hydraulic lift system

comes to life.

Kubelka: The hydraulic system

simulates
the movement of the aircraft

so we can shake the cabin
during the training

to simulate the real situation
during the flight.

Chlupac: Please fasten
your seat belts.

We are flying through
a turbulent area just now.

Narrator: In the cabin,

it looks, feels, and sounds
exactly like a real flight.

Dunn: The training has to be
as realistic as possible

in order to prepare you

for anything that might
happen on the aircraft.

Kubelka: I press landing button.

That means we are landing now.

Nobody knows that something
will happen in a few minutes.

It is also called an unprepared
emergency situation.

Dunn: Most of our accidents take
place during takeoff or landing,

and they are unprepared.

You don't know
it's going to happen.

Often passengers bury themselves
in a newspaper or a book.

Some of them go to sleep.

And that's when you need to have
your wits about you.

Narrator: In august 2005,

the cabin crew
of Air France flight 358

needed not only their wits,
but nerves of steel.

Pilot: Landing.
Autopilot, auto thrust off.

Narrator: Their A340

descends through heavy wind
and pounding rain

to Toronto's Pearson
international airport.

The pilots struggle
to put the plane on the runway.

Pilot: Put it down!

Put it down!

Joann Cordary-Bundock:
This landing

was more intense and harder

than any time I've ever landed
in another aircraft.

Dunn: The bumpiness
of the landing

would have caught
everybody's attention.

The fact that they were
landing in a bad storm

would have heightened
the awareness.

Eddie ho: It was
a very difficult landing.

Everyone started clapping,

and even the lady
sitting next to me--

I remember this very clearly--
she said,

"Wow! That was
an amazing landing."

And as soon as
she finished that sentence,

then all hell broke loose.

Man: Immediately you could
see this orange aura,

and for me, it's a picture
I will never forget.

My daughter
was sitting ahead of us,

on the right side of the plane.

And at that time,
she turned her head towards us,

you know, with very wide eyes,
you know, looking at us.

And her face was surrounded
by this enormous aura,

orange aura of fire.

Narrator: Then,
as it speeds down the runway

at 90 miles an hour,

flight 358 runs out of room.

Philippe Lacaille:
At that point,

I believed that
we were all gonna die.

It was obvious that no one can
survive this kind of thing.

Narrator: As the smell
of jet fuel fills the cabin,

panic begins to spread.

Man: Fire!

Flight attendant:
Fire! Run! Run!

Lacaille: Emily! Emily!
Emily! Emily!

The only thing
that matters to me now

is to get my daughter Emily,

who's sitting
two seats ahead of me,

get her, get her under me,

and protect her as we blow up.

Narrator: The plane
is now a deadly firetrap.

Dunn: The fire started
in the aft end of the aircraft.

People in the front

didn't realize
the severity of the situation.

So the people
in the front of the aircraft

were not as motivated
to get out as quickly

until there was an announcement
made by one of the crew members

in the back end of the aircraft.

Flight attendant:
We have to evacuate now!

Dunn: She motivated people
to get moving and get out.

Narrator: In an instant,

the flight attendant's
cordial demeanor is gone.

Dunn: We're trained
to be forceful,

and we're trained
to completely forget

about the service aspect
of our job

and focus just on safety.

Ho: People were
crawling over the seats.

They were pushing each other.

There was...
Basically, all for yourself.

Flight attendant:
Stay calm, please.

Narrator: If they can't
control the panic...

Man: Open the door!
Open the door!

Narrator: The crush
of frightened passengers

could quickly turn
into a deadly stampede.

Lacaille: Everybody was
expecting the plane to go up.

Narrator: Some haven't taken
any of the simple precautions

safety experts recommend.

Dunn: Making sure that
you wear lace-up shoes

and not a shoe that is
going to fly off on impact

and leave you barefoot,

wearing natural fibers
that don't burn as easily.

Something that's made out
of polyester or nylon

or a synthetic fabric
of some description,

when it gets hot and melts,
it sticks to my skin.

But if I'm wearing cotton
or wool or a natural fiber,

my chances of getting burned
are far less.

Man: Open the door!
Open the door!

Lacaille: I could see
the air attendant there,

struggling with the fact

that should I or should I not
open this door,

because the fire
was raging in front of it.

Narrator: The attendant
quickly makes the decision

to start sending passengers
down the emergency slides.

Lacaille: We just ran up
as fast as we could--

thorns

and through whatever was left of
the ground where the plane was.

Narrator: Astonishingly,

every single passenger and
the entire crew of flight 358

make it out alive.

Dunn: In their report,

the transportation safety board
praised the crew very highly

for the job that they did

and attributed the fact
that everybody got out

to the actions
of the cabin crew.

Cordary-Bundock: We really
need to take seriously

those safety commands
and evacuation information

because you never know.

It was a perfect flight.

There's not any indications
that anything can go wrong,

and it's right
at the very last second

that everything happens.

Flight attendant:
We have to evacuate now!

Narrator: The success
of the air France evacuation

had everything to do with speed.

It took just 90 seconds
to get everyone off the plane.

That amazingly
short length of time

is in fact the target
that all crews aim for.

Man: One more beer, please.
One more beer.

Narrator: Any moment now,

the Czech airlines trainees
will be up against that clock.

Kubelka:
So, the cabin must be clear

in 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Narrator: The hydraulic lift
rocks the cabin,

simulating
a hard emergency landing.

Kubelka: Evacuate.
Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate.

Chlupac: Seat belts off!

Seat belts off!
Leave everything!

Dunn: Our evacuation commands

are designed
to get people up and moving

and towards the exit
and out of the airplane.

Narrator: The slide on this
simulator is already extended.

So to keep the timing realistic,
flight attendants must wait

until they hear the sound
of the slide being inflated.

Chlupac: Leave everything.
Come this way.

Jump and slide.
Jump and slide.

Kubelka: It's recommended
to cross your hands

when you are sliding,
to protect yourself.

Chlupac: Jump and slide.

Dunn:
We do what's called looping.

We repeat over and over
and over and over again

until we are sure that everybody
who can get out is out.

Narrator:
The looping helps combat

a psychological phenomenon

known in the industry
as negative panic.

Dunn: That's when people
freeze in their seats

and they don't want to move.

Instead of getting up
and rushing towards an exit,

they just sit there

and wait for somebody
to tell them what to do.

Narrator:
Research video has shown

that while
some passengers freeze...

Flight attendant:
Undo your seatbelts and get out.

Narrator:
Others will do almost anything

to get off a plane
as quickly as possible.

Flight attendant:
This way! Come on!

Narrator: A famous study by the
U.K. Civil aviation authority

revealed that desperation
and outright panic

can take hold in seconds,

even in a simulated emergency.

Man: Take it easy!

Narrator: Evacuation training
teaches flight attendants

how to quell that kind of panic.

By playing the role
of the passenger,

they get at least some idea

of how frightening
a real emergency would be.

Man: This simulator
is the state of art

of technology
to train the future cabin crews.

I feel that if in real life
something happened,

I would really know what to do.

Narrator: But what happens when
disaster strikes in mid-air?

Getting off a plane
at cruising altitude

is not an option.

One harrowing flight from Alaska

reveals why cabin crews
have only seconds to react

to explosive decompression.

Every time you fly
on an airliner,

the low atmospheric pressure
outside the cabin poses a risk.

Our bodies
are simply not designed

for such extreme altitudes.

Normally the aircraft
protects us.

Today, the A320 simulator
will show what happens

when that protection fails.

Chlupac: Our next topic
is rapid decompression.

When the masks
are dropping down,

you have to use them
immediately.

Kubelka: The passenger's cabin
is pressurized,

so that means
at cruising altitude

there is a higher pressure
inside the cabin than outside.

We are climbing
to the cruising altitude.

Narrator: Any breach in the
fuselage at cruising altitude

causes an instant
depressurization,

leading to a scene
that would look and sound

something like this.

Chlupac:
Ah, something happened.

Taking the masks...

Take the masks and use them.

Dunn: It could be caused
by a window blowing out,

an aircraft door opening.

It could be caused

by a propeller
coming through the fuselage.

There's any number of reasons
that could cause it.

But it's a rapid loss
of cabin pressure.

Narrator:
Oxygen masks are critical,

as most of the air in the cabin

gets sucked out
by the difference in pressure.

Kubelka: Above the heads
of the passengers

there is a chemical generator.

If we pull down any mask

which is connected
to the chemical generator,

the generator will come on

and produce 100% oxygen

for approximately
12 or 15 minutes.

Narrator: If all goes well,

15 minutes of oxygen
buys the pilots enough time

to descend to an altitude where
the masks are no longer needed.

Woman: For us, it's important
to know this shock,

when the masks are falling down,

and to react--to take it on

and to try to give the
information to the passengers

to pull the masks down
and use them.

Narrator: Rapid decompression
emergencies are extremely rare,

affecting less than
one in a million

commercial flights each year.

In June 1983,

Reeve Aleutian 8 became
one of those rare flights.

Ten passengers are flying
from cold bay, Alaska.

Wendy Kroon:
We were headed to Seattle.

It was a beautiful day.

It was clear, no turbulence,
highly unusual.

Highly unusual.

Narrator: In the cockpit,

captain James Gibson
and his crew

have noticed something
unusual as well--

not with the weather,
but with their plane.

James Gibson:
You hear that, gar?

Pilot: I do.

Not sure.

Gary Lintner:
I noticed that the vibration

that I was feeling in my feet

and the vibration
that was in the glass

was different,

and that's the first time
I'd ever come across that,

and I thought,
"This is a little different."

Gibson: Ah, hell.

Moose, have a look,
would you?

Moose: Yeah, you bet.

Narrator:
As Gibson and Gary Lintner

wait for moose Laurin
to report back,

the vibrations
become more pronounced.

Lintner: I distinctly
remember looking down

and seeing
my control yoke shaking.

And I turned to Jim and I said,
"Geez, look at this."

And Jim and I are kind of
looking at each other

across the cockpit,
and finally he says...

Gibson: Screw this.
Let's turn around.

Kroon: The engineer said,

"I want you to come back
and check number four engine

and see if you can
see anything."

And just as I
looked out the window,

the engine went.

As the prop came off,
I thought, "Oh, crap!

It's gonna kill me.
It's gonna cut me in two."

But it flew forward
and then it came back

and slapped the engine
and then went underneath.

Narrator: The prop tears a hole
in the bottom of the plane.

Dunn: Things would
start to fly around.

Anything that
wasn't battened down

would be probably heading
towards the hole in the fuselage

and disappearing very quickly.

Laurin: I gotta go!

Kroon: I grabbed a hold
of the cargo net

and looked down at my foot

and, ah,
my heart dropped to my feet.

Fear just ran through me.

I'm looking
straight down at my foot

over a hole
straight down to the ocean.

I can actually, to this day,
see the ocean, that view--

the color, the white caps.

Narrator: The hole is more
than a foot and a half wide.

Kroon: That scared
the crap out of me.

Narrator:
The gash in the fuselage

has caused
an explosive decompression.

Lintner: Then of course
the cockpit gets all foggy

and there's almost no sound.

Your eardrums are popped.

Gibson:
Cabin pressure's dropping!

Kroon:
So when you try to breathe,

you end up getting light-headed
and you can actually pass out.

Lintner:
It's a little disconcerting

because of the fog
and it's quiet.

You think,
"Geez, am I dead or not?"

Dunn: Depending on
what altitude you're at,

and depending on how explosive
the decompression is,

you may have slightly longer
than at other times,

but you will eventually die
from lack of oxygen.

Narrator: Junior flight
attendant Victoria Fredenhagen

springs into action.

Victoria Fredenhagen:
After the explosions,

I wasn't sure what had happened,

but I got up and got the oxygen
walk-around bottle,

put that on.

Lintner: Jim and I
got our masks on,

and within seconds,

moose came through
the cockpit door and said,

"Holy crap. We just lost
number four propeller."

Narrator:
The rupture in the fuselage

has damaged
critical flight controls.

The crew needs to descend
to a lower altitude

where there's more oxygen.

But the yoke is slow to respond.

Lintner: It felt like
the yoke was in concrete.

It just felt solid
as a concrete block.

Damn it!

Gibson: Calm down.
Just a second!

Lintner: Jim saw that
the autopilot disconnect lights

were on,

and he reached over and turned
the autopilot back on again.

And I personally thought

that was probably
one of the smartest things

that anybody ever did
in the history of aviation.

Narrator: The autopilot can do
what the pilots could not--

Gibson: Wings level.
Narrator: Steer the plane.

Gibson:
Descending to 10,000.

Narrator: It's a struggle,

but they finally get
their Electra L-188

down to 10,000 feet.

Gibson: Okay. Stable.

Lintner: Reeve 8,
holding at 10,000 feet.

Over.

Gibson: Thank god.

Narrator: The passengers are
no longer in danger of hypoxia.

Gibson: It's now safe
to remove your masks.

Kroon: There was
no real emergency

'cause we could sense
that everything was good.

Fredenhagen:
Everybody's fine back here!

Well, there's of course

adrenaline running
at that point.

It just felt...it felt good.

I think it was just surreal
because we were okay.

Narrator: Reeve Aleutian 8
makes it to safety.

The close call is a good example

of the dual role
that all cabin crews play.

Dunn: When you become
a flight attendant,

you perform a balancing act
every time you go to work

because the passengers look
at you as a service provider,

which is what you are,

and you're supposed to be
gracious and kind and helpful.

And yet lurking
in the background

is always the fact that
something might happen

and you may have to introduce
your safety skills.

Narrator: At the Czech airlines
training center...

Chlupac: Now you'll practice
the most complicated case--

firefighting during
the in-flight service.

Narrator: The team
of young flight attendants

is ready to test what may be

the most crucial
safety skill of all:

Fighting fire.

Dunn: Fire is very, very
frightening on an airplane

'cause there's nowhere to go.

In a house, if you have
a house fire, you can go outside

and you can get away
from the fire.

You can't do that
on an airplane.

Narrator: And you can't
call the fire department.

The cabin crew
must respond in seconds,

or face an unstoppable inferno.

On board the A320 simulator...

Chlupac:
So, service is in progress...

We have a wonderful meal today.

Narrator:
Meal service training

is about to get
a lot more exciting,

thanks to an automated
smoke generator.

Kubelka: We can simulate
an in-flight fire

using smoke in the cabin.

We can choose the place--

for example, inside a lavatory,
inside the galley,

under the seat,
or in the overhead compartment.

Narrator: As wisps of smoke
start to appear in the cabin...

Man: Fire! Fire!

Chlupac:
Move the trolley away.

Narrator:
The crew springs into action,

clearing the aisle
and grabbing the protective

smoke hood and fire extinguisher
that are stored on all A320s.

Chlupac: Perfect.

Kubelka: It's very important
to start a cooperation

between cabin attendants
and flight crew members.

So let's say that
the first cabin attendant

will start
firefighting procedures.

The second cabin attendant will
call the flight crew members.

Woman: Captain, there is
a fire in the overhead bin.

We started the firefighting.

Kubelka:
And the other cabin attendants

will take care about passengers.

Woman: Come with me
and go in the back, please.

Chlupac: Improvised filters.

Dunn: You can get them to
breathe through something

so that you're filtering
some of the smoke

and the toxic particles out.

Chlupac: Was it extinguished?

Okay. Right.

Kubelka: The experience inside
is very, very realistic.

Man: It's quite heavy,

and it's very difficult to
orient in the smoke in the cabin

and see the people around
and try to extinguish the fire.

Narrator: If putting out
a simulated fire

in a simulated plane
is difficult,

imagine facing the real thing
at 30,000 feet.

June 1983.

All is not well aboard
Air Canada flight 797.

Dunn: The Air Canada DC-9
was a watershed accident.

Narrator: 41 passengers
are beginning to suffocate.

Dunn: The aircraft
was at cruise altitude,

and there was smoke discovered

coming from one
of the rear washrooms.

Narrator:
The smoke is getting thicker,

but the crew
can't find the source.

Raymond Chalifoux:
Incredibly harsh smoke

that was really
irritating your throat.

You had to take really, really
small, small breaths.

Otherwise you would choke.

Connie kirsch:
I was crying and scared.

I wasn't hysterical.

The gentleman sitting next to me

explained to me that
if I would not cry

and if I could,
you know, conserve my...

Not breathe so fast

that it would conserve
the oxygen, would help us,

and not to worry,
that the flight attendants,

they really know how to handle
these sort of situations.

Narrator: The crew may lack

the more advanced fire training
of today's crews,

but the flight 797 attendants
know to hand out wet towels

to help filter the smoke.

Dunn: There is no ventilation,
or very little ventilation,

and you can't open a window
or a door to let the smoke out.

Narrator: In the cockpit,

the pilots have managed
to reroute the flight

and are preparing for an
emergency landing in Cincinnati.

Pilot:
Approach, Air Canada 797.

Flight attendant:
Seat belts.

We're going to make
an emergency landing.

Narrator: In 1983,

it's not standard procedure
to instruct passengers

how to open the emergency doors,

but in this case,

the flight attendants
take the initiative.

Flight attendant:
...on the ground,

get as far away from the plane
as possible.

Controller:
You are clear to land.

Dunn: From the time
that the smoke was discovered

until the aircraft
touched down in Cincinnati,

I believe, was 17 minutes,
which was pretty remarkable

when you consider that they had
to find an airport to land in.

Chalifoux:
When we touched the ground,

I assumed that we're safe now.

Now let's get out
of this airplane.

Narrator: But dense smoke
is filling the cabin.

Getting off the aircraft
suddenly seems more difficult

than anyone could have imagined.

Kirsch: I got up out of my seat,

and I remember putting
my hands up on someone's back,

and it was like
waiting in a line.

And I knew that was one line
I didn't want to wait very long.

Narrator:
Flight attendant Sergio Benetti

swings open a cabin door

of the smoke filled
Air Canada dc-9.

Sergio Benetti: All right,
give me your hand and come out!

Narrator: He helps
gasping passengers escape.

Benetti: Go! Go! Go!

Narrator: Passengers struggle
to find their way out.

Even with the doors open,
the exits are all but invisible.

The smoke is too thick.

Kirsch: I saw a light,

and it was the door
that had opened.

Someone had opened the door.

I realized what it was.
I ran to the door,

and I just put my face out
so I could breathe.

Narrator: Passengers
who have found the exits

slide off the wing
and stumble to safety.

On the ground,

flight attendants direct
passengers out of harm's way.

Flight attendant:
Off the wing!

Get off the wing!

Narrator: Fire rescue vehicles
surround the plane.

Before everyone can get off...

The entire cabin ignites.

Dunn: Something called
flashover occurred,

which is what happens
when the fire builds up

and then the oxygen
comes in from the outside.

Narrator: Captain Donald Cameron
and first officer Claude Ouimet

make it off.

Claude Ouimet: We knew there
were people in the airplane,

unfortunately at that point.

That was...that was finished.

Narrator: The cabin fire breaks
through the top of the fuselage.

Black smoke
can be seen for miles.

Flight attendant Laura Kamaya
begins to count.

Chalifoux: I will remember
these words forever.

She told us to line up so that
she could count the survivors.

If there were survivors,
obviously there were dead.

Kamaya: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.

Dunn: There were
46 people on board,

including the crew,
and 23 people

didn't make it out.

Donald Cameron:
It was just a shame

we didn't get everybody off.

It still bothers me.

Dunn: When the fire department
and the investigators

went into the aircraft
afterwards,

they found passengers
on their hands and knees

aft of the over-wing exits,
facing aft.

So clearly they had crawled
back there looking for exits

and didn't find them--

a] because they probably
didn't know where they were,

and in those days,
they weren't marked well.

You need to have a rough idea

of how many feet it is
to your nearest exit

and to an alternate exit

and how you're gonna get there
if the cabin's full of smoke.

So you just...
You just need to be aware.

Narrator: The tragedy
of Air Canada flight 797

leads to significant
safety improvements

in the airline industry.

Dunn:
We got floor-level lighting.

We got automatic
fire extinguishers

in the washrooms.

We got huge improvements

in flight attendant training
in firefighting.

Narrator: The cabin crew's
impromptu decision

to show passengers how
to open the over-wing exits

is adopted
as a routine safety measure.

Dunn: It was a huge
accident for us

with respect to
improvements in the industry,

and we've saved lives
because of it.

Narrator: Better fire training
means that today's

flight attendants
get to actually feel the heat.

Kubelka: We need
to train cabin attendants

how to fight a real fire.

That's why
the firefighting simulator

is important for the training.

Narrator: The firefighting
trainer doesn't move.

It's made of solid steel
and is completely fire-proof.

Chlupac: Welcome.

Hello.

Narrator: It can simulate
three types of onboard fires:

A galley fire;

overhead compartment fire;

and fire from below the floor--

one that might originate
in the cargo hold.

Chlupac: Put your
smoke hood on, please.

Narrator: For some trainees,
it's the first time they've

had to fight a cabin fire
while wearing restrictive gear.

Kubelka: For new employees,
it's very important to realize

that the in-flight fire,

it's a very difficult situation.

Chlupac: Here you have
the extinguisher.

Narrator:
The drill is carried out

with a water-filled
extinguisher.

Chlupac: Very short bursts
and close it.

Narrator: On an actual flight,

they'd be using
even more effective

halon gas extinguishers.

Chlupac:
Short bursts and close it.

Check once more, please.

That's it. Don't be afraid.
You can be closer. Right.

Good. Good experience.

You can remove the hood.

Narrator: It's the kind of
training Barbara Dunn

wishes she'd had...

Chlupac: Next one, please.

Narrator: When she began her
career as a flight attendant.

Dunn: When I was hired in 1971,
we had no simulators at all.

Our firefighting training

consisted of firing off a water
extinguisher into a garbage can,

and that was it.

Chlupac:
Don't be afraid. Get closer.

Dunn: So it's changed
dramatically.

The training process
is comprehensive now.

Chlupac:
Okay. That's all.

- Give it to me.
- Woman: I can breathe.

Chlupac: Good.
Next one, please.

Narrator: Each flight attendant

will face the flames
before moving on ...

To the most physically
demanding drill of all...

Water survival training.

Kubelka: We need to train
all cabin attendants

as well as flight crew members
what to do in case of ditching.

Ditching means
landing on the water.

Narrator: More than two-thirds
of the earth's surface

is covered in water.

When a plane goes down at sea,

passengers face an incredibly
challenging ordeal.

Those lucky enough
to survive the impact

will then have to survive
in the open sea.

Knowing how to use a life vest
could make all the difference.

Dunn: You don't want
to inflate your vest

until after you've
left the aircraft.

We don't want the aircraft
filling up with water

and you having
your life jacket on,

floating at the top.

You're not gonna be able to
dive down with a life jacket on.

So you're really much better off
to wait until you get outside

and then pull
your inflation toggles.

Man: Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to
water survival training.

Narrator: The training begins
with a quick lesson

on how to safely jump into
the water from a ditched plane.

Man: The position is like this.

Narrator: That's important.
An injured flight attendant

can't be much help
to passengers.

Man: And the purpose
of this position

is protecting your important
parts of your body and my head

against sharp objects
in the water.

Is it clear?

Let's go.

Now we have to keep
the energy-saving position.

Cross your arms and legs,

and bend.

Narrator: Ocean water
temperatures can be frigid--

as low as 50 degrees
across much of the Atlantic.

Flight attendants
learn to preserve body heat

to ward off hypothermia.

Man: And stay in such position
as long as necessary.

Narrator:
All long-haul flights over water

are equipped with life rafts.

Some, like this one,
are slide rafts--

evacuation slides
that convert to a raft.

Man: Please just now,
we will board the slide raft.

Narrator:
They carry up to 70 people,

but they are next to useless

if you don't know how to
get in quickly and safely.

Man: Use all of the red loops.

Narrator:
In order to be seaworthy,

the raft needs sturdy side walls

that rise three feet
above the surface.

Anyone trying to board
from the water

must negotiate
a flimsy fabric ladder.

Dunn: You have to be
in good shape

to get into a slide raft,
or very motivated.

Narrator: Even with help
from those already on board,

it's a physically
demanding challenge--

all the more reason to put
flight attendants through it

on a regular basis.

Kubelka: New employees,
they usually say to me

that the practical training
is much more difficult for them

than they expected.

Narrator:
Though water ditchings are rare,

perhaps the most famous
aviation emergency of all time

ended with passengers
fearing for their lives

on the open water.

January 2009.

U.S.

Airways flight 1549 departs New
York's La Guardia airport.

There are 150 passengers
on board

bound for Charlotte,
North Carolina.

Dunn: The aircraft
took off uneventfully,

and very shortly after takeoff

they lost all engines
as a result of birds.

Jeff Skiles: I caught something
out of the corner of my eye,

and slightly to our right
but still ahead of us

was a line of...
- Pilot: Birds.

Skiles: And they were
very, very close--

too close for us
to maneuver around.

Whoa!

And that fast,
we were just on top of them.

Clay Presley:
Then all of a sudden,

there was this gigantic boom.

It seemed like
it stopped in mid-air,

like you hit a brick wall.

Then all of a sudden,
somebody said,

"The left engine's on fire!"

- Skiles: Uh-oh.
- Pilot: We got one roll.

Both of them rolling back.

Skiles: Both engines
rolled back to idle.

Dunn: There was very little time
to warn the cabin.

There was no time, actually.

The captain
and the first officer

were busy trying
to control the airplane.

They were trying to figure out
where they were going to land.

Skiles: Thrust levers.

Narrator: After quickly
assessing the situation,

Captain Sully Sullenberger and
first Officer Jeffrey Skiles

realize that,
without engine power,

they're not going to make it
to any nearby airport.

Sully Sullenberger:
We're gonna be in the Hudson.

Skiles:
I thought to myself, "Great."

The Hudson River
was our best opportunity.

It was really
the only thing in sight

where we could
land this airplane.

Sullenberger: Let's go.

Put the flaps out.

Brace for impact.

Presley: What does he mean,
"Brace for impact"?

I had no idea about
how to brace for impact.

Dunn: You need to be aware
of your brace position.

In many, many accidents,

the cabin crew
are trying desperately

to get the passengers
into the brace position,

but because the passengers

haven't read
the safety features card,

they don't know what that means.

Flight attendant:
Get your heads down

and stay down!

Narrator: Proper brace position

is knees together,
feet flat on the floor,

body bent
as far forward as possible

with arms wrapped under the legs

or braced against
the seat in front of you.

Dunn: Your body's
going to be thrown forward.

So if you can get yourself
into that position beforehand,

the amount of movement
back and forth

is going to be reduced,

and the level of injury
will be less.

Narrator: In the cabin,

the passengers prepare
for the inevitable.

Presley: All the passengers

really started
kind of pulling together,

and somebody yelled out
as we were going down...

Man: Be ready at the doors.

Presley: The folks at the door
says, "We're ready."

Narrator: Clay Presley does
what all passengers should.

He stays calm
and tries to think ahead.

Presley: So I started thinking
about, if we're gonna crash,

I know I need to figure out
where the exit rows are.

If the water comes in, you need
to be able to hold your breath

long enough to get
to those four or five rows

and get the doors open
if you can.

Narrator: But before
anyone can escape,

they must first survive
a high-speed impact...

Sullenberger:
We're going to brace.

Narrator:
Into freezing cold water.

Skiles:
It looked like the airplane

was going right for the bottom
of the Hudson River.

All we saw was water cascading
over the windshield.

Presley: It was like a tornado.

Pieces of the plane
were being torn apart.

Some people were
thrown around pretty good.

Skiles:
Then the airplane popped up...

And it was just sort of
gently rocking in the waves.

Narrator: In an instant,

the $75 million plane
has become an unlikely boat

floating down the Hudson River.

It's now filling
with freezing water.

Presley: That water was cold.

It was very cold,
and so your feet are freezing.

Dunn: You land in the Hudson
in the middle of the winter,

the water
is going to be very cold

and you're gonna suffer
from hypothermia very quickly.

Their feet and their hands
will get numb.

They're going to be useless.

Narrator: Passengers nearest
the exits open the doors.

Presley: I just jumped up
very quickly

and started making my way
to the emergency door.

And so I worked my way out
onto the wing,

just a few steps to start with.

Dunn: Fortunately,
they had slide rafts

rather than just slides,
so what they were able to do

was evacuate passengers
into the slide rafts.

Narrator:
At the back of the plane,

water continues pouring in.

Flight attendants
direct passengers forward.

Flight attendant: Go over
the seats if you have to.

Skiles: We were actually
in the water up to our knees,

and it was just
absolutely freezing cold.

Every part of your body
that was in that water

just ached to the bone.

Come forward!

Is there anybody here?

We were very confident there was
nobody left on the airplane.

Narrator: Since the plane came
down near midtown manhattan,

it's not long before rescuers
are on the scene.

Presley: I saw the first ferry,

and I could see the wheelhouse.

I felt like, "okay,
we're really gonna be okay."

There was a sigh of relief.

Narrator: In the end,
all 150 passengers

and the entire crew
of flight 1549

are brought to safety--

another example of how
serious aviation accidents

often end well.

Dunn: Absolutely,
accidents are survivable.

The next time a passenger
gets on an airplane,

I want them to be aware
of their surroundings.

I want them to know
where they're sitting,

how they're gonna get to an exit
if they have to.

You also need to do
your seat belt up so tight

that it's uncomfortable
because that's the only thing

that's gonna keep you
in your seat

and keep you
restrained properly.

Narrator: Seats
at the front of the plane

are often close
to the point of impact

when a plane hits the ground,
leading many experts to believe

the safest seat
during an accident

is one near
the back of the plane.

Dunn: Obviously sitting
near an exit is a good idea,

but that exit may not be usable
in this particular scenario.

So I would say,
rather than choosing

where you're going to sit,

be aware of
where you are sitting.

Narrator: For flight crews
and passengers alike,

there's one more
important statistic.

The odds of dying
in a plane crash

are incredibly small--

less than one in ten million.

That means that this
Czech airlines flight crew,

and every other crew
around the world,

will almost certainly
never need to draw

on their well-honed
safety skills.

But if disaster does strike,

passengers can rest easy

knowing their cabin crew has
the skill to get them out alive.

- ♪ ♪