Citation

White BD, Firth JL, Rowles JM. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 1993; 64(2): 103-109.

Affiliation

Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, England.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Aerospace Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8431182

Abstract

Of the initial 87 survivors of the East Midlands Boeing 737/400 aircraft, 77 sustained head and facial trauma during the crash, 45 of whom were rendered unconscious. There were 21 who received injuries to the back of their head, including 5 of the 6 severely head-injured adults. Those passengers who adopted the fully flexed "brace" position for crash-landing achieved significant protection against head injury, concussion, and injuries from behind irrespective of local aircraft structural damage. A computer graphics simulation developed by a commercial firm (H. W. Structures, Ltd.) using the predicted crash pulse of the accident has validated these clinical findings and allows theoretical biomechanical modeling for the design of occupant protection systems in the future. Although the major role of structural failure should not be forgotten, bracing maximizes the chance of uninjured survival in the current generation of aircraft and should be demonstrated and practiced as a pre-flight routine.

Language: en