Fear of flying is a relatively common phobia, but in most cases, air travel is actually quite safe. Each year, commercial airline travel accounts for less than 0.001 passenger fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, vastly lower than passenger trains (0.05) and cars (0.57). The likelihood that you’ll ever experience anything beyond an uncomfortably hard landing on a commercial aircraft is extremely low. However, there’s an exception to this comforting statistic: small private planes. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s 2022 report, scheduled commercial airline flights experienced only 20 accidents and one fatality (a ramp worker, not a passenger) over the course of 17 million flight hours. That equates to an accident rate of 0.117 and death rate of 0.006 per 100,000 hours. In comparison, general aviation — the category which includes private planes — experienced 1,205 accidents and 358 fatalities in 22 million flight hours. That’s 5.336 accidents and 0.945 deaths per 100,000 hours. In other words, you’re 45 times more likely to experience a crash in a private plane, and the likelihood of a fatality is 157 times greater.
The vast wilderness of Alaska is one of the most remote and inhospitable regions in North America, and those who travel there to hunt and fish often rely on small bush planes to reach their destinations. The frequency of these flights, combined with the rugged terrain and challenging weather conditions, also makes Alaska a common location for small plane crashes. In 2022, there were 83 general aviation accidents in Alaska, including 7 fatalities. These fatalities aren’t always the result of inexperienced pilots — last year, Jim Tweto, one of the stars of Discovery’s Flying Wild Alaska, died after his Cessna 180 crashed near a remote airstrip. Initial reports indicate it may have been the result of unusually strong winds.
If you experienced a small plane crash and found yourself isolated in the Alaskan bush, what would you do to survive? Would you be able to treat your injuries, withstand the elements, and signal for rescue? If electronic methods of communication failed, how would you indicate distress to nearby aircraft?
The Scenario
SITUATION TYPE
Bush plane crash
YOUR CREW
Yourself
LOCATION
Central Alaska
SEASON
Late summer
WEATHER
Light winds and scattered showers; high 58 degrees F, low 42 degrees F
The Setup
Your brother-in-law Nick lives in Alaska and has worked as a bush pilot for as long as you’ve known him. At a recent family gathering, he convinced you to come visit and go on a fishing trip in the backcountry. Excited for a fun weekend off the grid, you packed up your tent, clothes, freeze-dried food, emergency survival gear, and a few guns before flying to Fairbanks to meet him. At the airport, he showed you around his pride and joy, a Piper Super Cub. He conducted the usual pre-flight checks,
