Ditching Flashcards
Ditching Basics
-It is a water landing
-several impacts are likely
-more severe in aft section
-the tail strikes the water first
-the aft portion of the Aircraft will most likely be underwater
General guidelines
-Do not use the aft exits
-Fwd doors and all OWWE will be primary exits
-You must assess conditions including water level
Command passengers:
-Put on life vests
-wait to inflate
-Stay back (if releasing the escape slide or launching the raft)
Aircraft used for extended overwater flights are equipped w/ life rafts
B737-700
B737-max8
2 types of rafts on SW aircraft:
The Safran -yellow
EAM rafts -black
Are similar, but there are differences
Capacity-56 per raft
Overload-84 per raft
Pack weight-100 pounds
Location 700-
-1 in fwd cabin ceiling dept.
2 in mid cabin ceiling depts.
800-max8-
-2 fwd cabin ceiling
-2 in mid-cabin ceiling compartments
Raft manual
-located in a sealed plastic pouch
-provides step-by-step instructions on how to load and maintain the raft
Loading life rafts
-use the mooring line to hold raft next to door or wing
-command pax to inflate life vests and roll into the raft
-Balance the flow of evacuation to all available rafts. If conditions do not permit holding rafts close to aircraft, complete the following:
-command pax to jump int the water
-board the raft at the boarding stations
Once all pax have evacuated, FA/s will do the following:
“A” and “C” (if 2 on board)retrieve ELT’s
Retrieve emergency equipment, water, and snacks if conditions permit
Board the life raft
Cut the mooring line
Take command and stabilize your life raft
Stabilize the Rafts
-Distribute the load
-sit facing the center of the raft
-place people evenly around raft to eep the weight balanced
-move by crawling-dont stand
-Retrieve the survival kit
-Location is marked on side of raft
-Fold survival kit after removal of any equip to prevent loss of content
-Secure the Inflation Aspirator Door Lock(Safran raft only)
-Secure the inflation Aspirator Door lock (Safran raft only)
-Inflate the center float
Securing the Inflation Aspirator Door Lock (Safran raft only)
-Locate Aspirator door locks (there are 2, one on top and one on bottom) on the outside corner of the life raft, first image
-Turn handle quarter turn clockwise until it clicks in place.
-Do not press down on the flapper doors while turning the handle
-The wire (circled in red) will break when you turn the handle
*There are 2 Aspirator on the Safran raft, 1 on the top and 1 on the bottom chamber. Both aspirators must be secured.
Deploy the Sea Anchor
-The sea anchor provides addt’l stability for the raft in rough seas
It keeps the raft from drifting too far or too fast
-it keeps the raft from spinning
-The sea anchor must be launched to keep the raft stable, it will drag behind the raft on the upwind side.
Knowing the difference between upwind and downwind is important when putting up the canopy and using the flares.
If you are not sure which side is upwind, look for the sea anchor. It will always be upwind of the life raft. The sea anchor provides addt’l stability for the raft in rough seas.
Sea Survival and Rescue
Take command of the raft
The raft commander is the flight attendant
All raft commanders report to the Captain or the FO if captain absent
The captain has final say
Responsible for all decisions made for the raft
Assign jobs to the passengers
-Raising the Canopy
-Administering First Aid
-Bailing Water
-distributing water and snacks
-Signaling survivors or rescuers
-relaying messages to other raft commanders
-keeping the raft inflated and maintained
Retrieve Surviviors
-Signal survivors with a whistle
-look for locator lights on the pax life vests
-use the heaving line to pull pax to the raft
-assist pax boarding the raft
