Someone mentioned that the MD80 is not a very safe plane. I have heard people say you should fly in the back of the plane.

But what is the truth about air safety? What are the things you can do to increase your chances of arriving safely at your destination?

Board a plane with a parachute that you are well-ready to use.

Here are some common suggestions:

-- sit in the back. This assumes when the plane crashes, it will do so gently enough that only the front of the plane will crumple and that there will be no fire before you can climb out of the hole between front and back. Guess how often this happens in a crash?

-- wear sensible shoes, not flip-flops or high heels. This assumes, again, that your part of the plane will be intact enough for you to climb over things. It's a good idea to wear sensible shoes while traveling, but as for saving your life in an accident ...?

-- carry a small flashlight you can reach quickly. This is supposed to help you in dense smoke. It will help you in dense smoke only if a)you can hold your breath indefinitely and b) there's no fire to go with the smoke. I'm very fond of my small flashlight, however -- it gets me to the bathroon in dark hotel rooms without my having to turn on bright lights that'll wake me up.

Bottom line: surviving is 99% luck, and that includes being lucky enough to be in a crash that isn't total destruction. If you follow these hints, that'll make you that much (1%)luckier.

I always sit on the wing. if and when it breaks off, the area of the airplane that is wide open is right in front of the wing.

Wear non-synthetic clothes like cotton or wool, less flammable if there's a fire. Never fly in a skirt or shorts, less chance of burned legs. Don't drink too much in case you have to be alert and think quickly.

As for flying over the wings, isn't that where the fuel tanks are? Kaboom!

Cotton clothes are a must. Synthetics will adhere to your skin in the event of high heat/fire.

If the mask drops, don't hesitate to put it on.

And finally, if you see William Shatner or John Lithgow, hope you're not sitting next to them. Both of those guys think they've seen a monster out on the wing! (You've now crossed over into "The Twilight Zone.")

My theory is that survivable events occur on the ground. Like fires or mild incidents when landing that require an emergency evacuation. In those cases, I want to be the first one out, leaving the rest of you to struggle with your carry on bags and high heels while I flee to safety. So I try to get close to or in the exit row. When I am interviewed on camera about the terrible disaster that afflicted the plane, I won't mention the part about the carry on baggage.

As the previous poster said, the most likely disasters to survive are the ones on the ground. I always count the number of rows to the nearest exit so that I can feel my way to it if I can't see it.

Mary Schiavo, former Inspector General for the Department of Transportation, has written a book called, "Flying Blind, flying safe." The book details problems with planes, low cost carriers, airports etc. Ms. Schiavo, was responsible for grounding Value Jet and warned the FAA of problems with that carrier. It is a must read for those who fly! It gives tips on how to be safe.

Listening up when the flight attendant gives the safety instructions would be a good start. Stay in your seat; keep your seatbelt fastened.

There is a list of commonly recommended precautions at http://www.airsafe.com/ten_tips.htm
Also included is a link to a report on passenger fatalities by aircraft model.

Forgot to mention that the MD80/MD90 series has a relatively safe accident rating.

Steve-With all due respect, I disagree with your findings on the MD80. An MD80 was involved in an incident in Florida where a piece of the engine broke off and flew through the cabin killing one person; the SWISSAIR crash involved an MD80 and there have been numerous other incidents of mechanical failures of the MD80. I personally will not fly on one.

Mary Schiavo? Isn't she the person who tried to sneak a fake hand grenade through baggage check? As i recall, the plan was to sneak it through, then publicly denounce airport security. But, er, she and her producer werecaught, which wrecked the whole sound bite.

Also, isn't she the lady who claimed that she was seated on a plane and saw a mechanic apply duct tape to the outside of the plane? As it turned out, there is an approved tape for certain repairs that looks just like duct tape. So maybe Mary doesn't know what she's talking about.

No, I'm not in the industry or anything, but I don't like irresponsible scare tactics like Ms. Schiavo uses. And I didn't think much of her book, either.

assume you survive the crash, the next big thing is smoke & fire. We always carry a smoke hood that is also usefull in the event of a hotel fire. Check one out at:http://www.roadwarriorgear.com/rwg/evsmokhood.html

Mary Schiavo never snuck a grenade on a plane! Where do you people get this stuff. It was a ploy by one of the tv stations in Columbus, Ohio during sweeps week to get ratings and they got caught. Mary Schiavo was blamed for the whole fiasco. Whether you like her or not, she did indeed ground Value Jet and is an expert on airline safety. Her book is definitely worthwhile reading for those concerned about safety. Now please get off your high horse.

Funny. why did Mary take the blame if she had nothing to do with it? Because she was trying to do some sort of expose with the TV station news crew, that's why, and she definitely had the deactivated "device" (bomb, grenade, whatever it was) in her carry-on. She was no innocent bystander. And I am definitely correct about the duct tape thing.

Felix - with all due respect, it seemed obvious that Steve wasn't providing his findings or his opinion on the safety of the MD80 series, but was referring to the statistics posted on the site he provided the url for, which clearly show the MD80 to be one of the safest planes ever. If it seems that there are a lot of incidents involving that airliner (or the 737 series, for that matter) it's only because there are so many of them in service.

Frankly, most airline crashes are due to human error of some sort and arranging your travel schedule based on airliner model safety is an act of self-delusion.

Regarding the above post about the SwissAir crash-- the plane involved was an MD-11 not an MD-80.