Factors influencing passenger evacuation from smaller transport aircraft including the operation of the Type-III exit

摘要

Accident reports and experimental research have documented difficulties whenoperating and evacuating through overwing emergency exits. The factors influencingexit operation and evacuation from smaller regional transport aircraft are lessunderstood as previous studies have focussed solely on large single aisle aircraft.Experiment One examined the influence of a smaller interior configuration and theseating configuration close to the exit on evacuation rates. The results indicated noeffect for interior configuration or vertical projection. Experiment Two investigated theinfluence of interior configuration, a modification to the exit operating handle and theexit operator’s briefing on exit operation time. The results showed the exit was operatedsignificantly faster when an in-depth briefing was delivered. No significant differenceswere attributable to the operating handle mechanism or the interior configuration.Experiment Three investigated a major modification to the overwing exit mechanism onexit operation time. The results showed the exit was operated faster when anautomatically opening hatch was installed compared to the traditional plug exit.Experiment Four examined the effect of the placement of the disposed traditional exithatch on evacuation. The results showed the evacuation rate was significantly slowerwhen the hatch was placed inside the cabin.The experiments have contributed to knowledge regarding exit operation and evacuationfrom smaller transport aircraft. The benefits of an automatically disposed hatch exitmechanism on a smaller transport aircraft and an in-depth exit operator’s briefing inboth large and small aircraft interior configurations have been shown. The work hashighlighted that the interior configuration of the smaller transport aircraft, in particularthe restricted headroom, is perceived as a hindrance. Finally the work has quantified thenegative impact of an inappropriately placed exit hatch inside a smaller transportaircraft cabin. Recommendations for further research in evacuation and exit operationfrom smaller transport aircraft are suggested.