Denver Plane Crash - Here's a clue, people: "Screw the overhead luggage - GET OUT OF THE PLANE!"
 

From CNN:

Continental passenger Gabriel Trejos described a scene of panic as the plane skidded off the runway while trying to take off.

"Some people were trying to get luggage from the top, [and] the engine was on fire, so I was worried about getting out of there," Trejos said Sunday.

Pilots or Cabin Crew should be able to activate a lock on overhead compartments in an emergency and let passengers know No1 priority is to get off a plane.

That's not a bad idea at all.

I was trying to remember if the flight attendants or safety literature in the plane mention anything about ignoring stuff in the overheads. Too bad it would even be necessary.....

The safety brochure has a picture of hand luggage with big red <font color="red">X</font> over it, but who looks at the brochure?

Most of those interviewed here in the Houston area said that there WASN'T much panic considering the circumstances. They said that it was a pretty orderly evacuation.

There were probably a couple of idiots, but that's to be expected.

Isn't that just so, bettyk? Seems there is at least one idiot on every flight!

And something that has not been given much attention is the work of the flight attendants in facilitating the very successful evacuation.

Seamus,

I've been looking for the flight attendant kudos as well. Haven't seen them.

I had an evacuation for a bomb threat many years ago the week after Pan Am Lockerbie(hard to believe that it has been 20 years?).We were cruising at 31,000 feet between Palm Beach and Chicago when the captain came on and said that he was landing the plane in 5 minutes and we literally were divebombing to the earth.After we landed, we were evacuating the passengers and quite a few of them were trying to take their luggage.

One woman with full mink coat,toilet case,etc. was trying to take a bunch of stuff off when I told her she had to go by herself with no belongings-she refused repeatedly and became the last passenger to be evacuated. I finally muttered&quot; you better get your ass off this flight NOW or you won't need your luggage&quot;. She promptly informed me that she would be taking my name after the flight. Go figure? I should have written a book through the years..............

dutyfree, you wonder how somebody that DUMB lived to be an adult...

Our flight crews, both in person and in the video, made a point of saying LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS BEHIND.

this is elementary...literally. doesn't anyone remember when teachers told them to LEAVE THEIR BELONGINGS on their desks in the case of a fire drill in elementary school?

About 4 years ago I was in an emergency landing because the left engine caught fire on take-off. My experience did not compare with what happened in Denver as the entire plane wasn't destroyed, just the engine and some surrounding parts. However at the time it was happening we were fully aware there was a fire on board as the plane was filling with smoke while were were still airborne.

When we landed we were immediately given the order to evacuate using the slides. At the time we didn't know the fire had been put out quickly so I was in fear the plane would blow at any second. I was going for the rear door to evacuate and there was a moron pulling things out of the overhead. That guy caught the sharp end of my elbow as I rushed past him to get out. :-L

I hate to say this but I'm betting a bunch of the injuries occurred during evacuation... Did you know you accelerate much faster down the slide if you are carrying luggage? How much is a broken femur worth compared to your laptop that will be worth $300 on Ebay this time next year?

jumbonav - Points taken, but you don't accelerate faster with a higher mass. I remember some experiment done by Galileo at the Tower of Pisa. :D

rkkwan + jumbonav

Acceleration due to gravity doesn't change but momentum does.

dutyfree - never too late to write a book !

Although these days many safety briefings are on screens it must have been annoying when attendants do the briefing and everyone ignores !

I always check where the nearest exit is, plus an alernative exit, count the rows to the exit. Always take an aisle seat. When we travel as a family I always emphasise to the kids the safety briefing and pay specific attention to it so they learn it's the right thing to do.

I think it's simple common sense.