Safety Recommendation A-92-076

IN SEVERAL RECENT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS, THE SAFETY BOARD FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH FLIGHT ATTENDANTS PROVIDED VALUABLE ASSISTANCE TO PASSENGERS DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, THEY DID NOT ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR AIR CARRIER'S APPROVED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES OR PERFORM THEIR DUTIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH TRAINING. THE SAFETY BOARD REVIEWED ITS INVESTIGATIONS OF ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS WHERE INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE ON FLIGHT ATTENDANT PERFORMANCE DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. THERE WERE MANY EXAMPLES OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WHO HAVE PERFORMED EXTREMELY WELL, EVEN HEROICALLY, DURING LIFE-THEATENING EMERGENCIES AND WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR PREVENTING AND/OR MINIMIZING INJURIES TO PASSENGERS.

NONETHELESS, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY EXAMPLES OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WHO LACKED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES, OR WHO ACTED OTHERWISE CONTRARY TO THEIR TRAINING. IN 2 OF THE 24 EVACUATION CASES CITED IN THIS REPORT, THE ACTIONS OF SOME FLIGHT ATTENDANTS CONTRIBUTED TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PASSENGER INJURIES. IN SOME OF THE OTHER CASES, FLIGHT ATTENDANT ACTIONS CAME VERY CLOSE TO INCREASING THE NUMBER OF INJURIES. THE SAFETY BOARD IS CONCERNED THAT THESE SAME ACTIONS IN OTHER SITUATIONS COULD HAVE DISASTROUS RESULTS AND THAT FLIGHT ATTENDANT TRAINING MAY NOT ADEQUATELY PREPARE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FOR ACTIONS THAT THEY MAY BE REQUIRED TO TAKE.