The NTSB database has just 74 events involving suicide and the focus of this discussion is the only one that involves a passenger rather than a pilot. The event took place in 2000, when a passenger on a Twin Otter plane intentionally opened the emergency exit door in flight.
As we enter the holiday season, this accident is a reminder of the additional pressures many people experience. The Flight Safety Detectives ask everyone in aviation to be especially diligent.
In this case, another passenger saw the person open the door and tried to keep her from exiting the aircraft. Recent years have shown that unusual things can and will happen on aircraft.
John and Todd discuss the importance of acting when you see something that isn’t right. They wonder how many aviation safety issues have been averted due to the quick actions of someone who noticed something and did something about it.
Related documents at the Flight Safety Detectives website:
- NTSB Final Report (PDF)
- NTSB Public Docket (PDF)
Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.
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Pilot Gets Lost During Night Flight – Episode 166
Commercial Space Safety: Human Factors – Episode 165
A Terrible Year for Aviation Accidents – Episode 164
Live! from the 2023 Aerospace Maintenance Competition – Episode 163
Wake Turbulence Can Be Dangerous – Episode 162
Famed R&B Singer Killed in Air Crash Caused by Safety Errors – Episode 161
Captain Kirk, SXSW and Listener Questions - Episode 160
Loss of Control or Structural Inflight Breakup? - Episode 159
Cessna 441 Engine Issue Traced to Maintenance Mistakes - Episode 158
Yeti Air Crash Preliminary Report - Episode 157
Deadly Cory Lidle Crash Caused by Failure to Plan- Episode 156
Vintage Aircraft Creating Safety Concerns - Episode 155
Phraseology and Aviation Safety - Episode 154
19 Operational Mistakes and 1 Ruined Helicopter - Episode 153
A320 Elevator Damage Impacts Flight - Episode 152
Experienced Test Pilot Doomed by Severe Weather- Episode 151
Flight Instructors Can Be Dead Wrong - Episode 150
Spatial Disorientation Kills – Episode 149
Troy Gentry Crash Caused by Maintenance Error – Episode 148
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