Pre-flight Briefing and Mother saves 5 year old girl.

[GAHorn]

Joe Soleri, 69, pilot of a Cessna 206 floatplane died in an Aug. 4, Kezar Lake, Maine water-landing accident when the airplane flipped after touchdown. The husband, Kevin Lamberson, saved himself by kicking out a forward window, and the mother saved herself and their 3 year old thru a side window, but rescue workers were unable to free a trapped 5 year old daughter from her seat in the submerged plane. Adam Johnson said he arrived to find that the parents and son had gotten out of the plane but the daughter and the pilot were underwater and he tried to get her out. "I couldn't get the buckle undone," he told WCSH. "I tried and tried and tried, and went down a couple of times and said I can't do it."
The mother took matters into her own hands, grabbed the rescue worker's goggles, and dived back into the water, released the child and brought her to the surface. After a short stay in the hospital, the child was released and begins kindergarten next week.
The mother credited Joe Soleri's thorough pre-flight safety briefing for saving her daughter.
Beth Lamberson paid attention during the briefing as Joe described the emgergency exits, seat belt operation, and take-off/landing briefings. She credits his briefing with enabling her to save her children.
Thanks for doing the right thing, Joe.

[1SeventyZ]

I heard a similar story, almost the same scenario, that didn't end up as well. Parents made it out, kids trapped, or something along those lines. Seems like it Lake Clark or somewhere up north.

[iowa]

very interesting stories!
i avoid large bodies of water.
dave

[AR Dave]

I've have this habit, when I sit down in a plane, of closing my eyes and working the seatbelt a few times. I picked that up from a survival training school some many years ago. We were told stories of drowned victims who tore their fingernails off while trying to operate the seatbelt from the wrong side. We were actually put in a fuselage, dumped upside down in a pool, and had to unlatch our seatbelt, find survival gear, and swim to the surface blindfolded.

That mom saving her daughter is something special!

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

That is great advice Dave and is just one step in water survival training. You should also figure out hot to find the door release both the regular method and the emergency one if there is one, all with your eyes closed.

Then you need to know a few things. The first thing to do once entering the water is NOT release your seatbelt. It is the only thing holding you in place and oriented to the way you practiced opening your door or escape route. It is the only thing that will give you the leverage needed to push the door or window open.

Second you probably won't be able to open the door till the cockpit fills with water equalizing the pressure inside and out.

So the sequence would be hit the water. Find the door release and try to open it. If you can't wait till the cockpit fills. Open the door. Then release your belt. Follow your bubbles to the surface.

This description is in no way meant to describe in detail the procedure but describes it in basic terms. If you know nothing else but what I've described and you follow it when submerged in a vehicle you will be much better of than having never read my description.

If you fly over water or even drive next to a lot of it and there is any chance you might find your self in it, good water ditching survival training at any cost is worth the price.

[cessna170bdriver]

...So the sequence would be hit the water. Find the door release and try to open it. If you can't wait till the cockpit fills. Open the door. Then release your belt. Follow your bubbles to the surface.

I've not had any formal ditching training, but I would think that if you were going down in the water, you'd open the doors and windows BEFORE you hit the water.

Miles

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Yes I would certainly might do that Miles but unless you can eject the doors or windows they are likely to shut on impact with the water or right after impact.

The message is to be prepared to do those things I mentions in the dark when you can't see and your upside down. Did I mention you probably won't time your last breath right or submerging will scare it out of you so you won't have any breath to breath.

[Kyle]

One additional item is to check your door latch mechanisms. If you open your door and then re-latch while its open such as some later model cessna aircraft you can do so prior to ditching. It prevents the door from being closed and locked into a closed position if the airframe is twisted during impact.

We held a full day water / ditching safety seminar, hosted by (at the time) Chatham Area Pilots Association in conjunction with the USCG a few years ago. The CG pilots gave an excellent presentation on preparing an aircraft for ditching and how to use assorted types of survival equipment. It was a great hit as most of us here land and take off over water and can't get anywhere without being over water.

Susan, my boys and I always fly with our life vests on here on the coast - because if we need them, thier is no time to put them on. In the pockets are dye packs, portable strobes and my pencil flares which are out for replacement. Yes we train the kids how to use them. Vests are made by Switlik and the only thing I don't like about them is the neck clearance is to small especially in the winter months with extra clothing.

Of course its like a bullet proof vest - it only has to work once to be worth all the years of agrevation of wearing them.

Fly safe,

Kyle

[GAHorn]

Be certain to brief all pax NOT to inflate the vests before exiting the aircraft.

[Kyle]

We do