Passengers risk lives by evacuating crashed plane with hand luggage

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Your bag also risks damaging the escape slide, which will further compromise the survival chances of others, and it very likely to cause someone an injury.” As part of pre-flight safety briefings, passengers are advised to leave all belongings behind in the event of an emergency evacuation. In a statement released at the time, Terry Buckland, chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Operations Group, said: “The fact that so many passengers would decide to stop and collect some or all of their belongings during an emergency evacuation is a worrying finding. “Airline operator safety briefings instruct passengers to leave all their belongings in the event of an emergency evacuation for clear safety reasons. Where it is identified that there are shortfalls or potential improvements, Aviation Authorities should take the necessary actions.” A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “In an emergency situation, where the crew tell passengers to evacuate the aircraft, it is vital that everyone follows the crew’s instructions and leaves the aircraft as quickly as possible.