Preparing To Ditch

摘要

All kinds of advice is available from the FAA, manufacturers and other sources on how to ditch an airplane. In fact, the how is fairly easy-it can be summed up as "land in the water." The checklist excerpt at right, for a Cessna Model 208B Grand Caravan, discusses the major items. (We added the highlighting noting Cessna hasn't test-ditched a Caravan.) Preparation can be critical, however. Here are some additional tips, focused on passengers, adapted from the U.S. Department of the Interior (yes!) and its Office of Aircraft Services (DOI/OAS): This should be self-explanatory: The sometimes-sudden deceleration of a ditching can turn loose items into projectiles. When attempting to egress the aircraft, they can catch on other items.