Would You Survive

Segal, Gregg.Would You Survive. Popular Mechanics, Aug. 2005.

As a nice follow up to my last chapter in flight school about airplane collusion avoidance, I'm doing this article about surviving in the wilderness if your plane crashes. Guess he didn't study the aircraft collision chapter very well!

This article is about Scott Thurner who was driving his Cessna 172 from Nevada to Colorado when it iced up. Scott did not file a flight plan and survived the crash landing but was 15 miles from the nearest road. The weather conditions were bad and freezing. Not filing a flight plan was stupid and nobody knew where he was.

The article goes on to say that statistically people are found in 3 days, dead or alive.
It says what you need to pack for survival and constructs a eight piont plan to make it through the first 72 hours. Caleb Randells, a instructor in the Air Force wrote a book, the Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. It tells how to stay alive until help comes.

Scott Thurner is still alive today. he dug a snow cave and used the plane door as a roof. He set off his emergency beacon and rescuers found him in 24 hours. The strategies recommended are: stay with the plane and signal for help. Drawing a X on the wing can help.