| Title | Fatal injuries resulting from extreme water impact. |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 39036 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Snyder, Richard G.; Snow, Clyde C. |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine |
| Publisher | Civil Aerospace Medical Institute |
| Publication Date | 19680900 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Increased overwater flight has resulted in an increase in both military ejections and civil crash landings in water, 78 general aviation water accidents occurring in 1965. The objective of the study was to determine mechanisms of gross trauma in non-penetrating fatal water impact. The method involved analysis of necropsy data on 169 fatal (52 female, 117 male) jumps from the Golden Gate Bridge. Impact velocities ranged from 106-112 ft/sec (32.31-34. 14 m/sec) and body orientation was mainly transverse or lateral. The most common mechanism of injury was crushing of the thoracic cage with resultant bilateral rib fractures and penetration of the vital organs (85.2 percent). Lung lacerations, ruptured livers, brain injury, and drowning were most frequent. In 17 cases, no skeletal fractures were found. Eight individuals, apparently relatively uninjured by the impact subsequently drowned. These data reinforce previous work indicating human tolerance in water impact close to 116 ft/sec (33.53 m/sec) velocity, and body orientation is critical. Additional protection in transverse and lateral impact must be considered for increased survivability. |
| Rosap ID | dot:20862 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/20862 |
| TRT Terms | Air transportation crashes; Crash injury research; Fatalities; Water areas; Survival; Suicide; Autopsies; Bridges; Free fall; Weight; Heart; Respiratory system; Abdomen; Internal organs; Nervous system; Skeletal system; Injuries; Drowning; Case studies; Impact studies |
| General Subjects | Aircraft accidents; Crash injuries--Research; Water masses; Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, Calif.); Survival; Suicide; Autopsy; Body weight; Heart; Respiratory organs; Digestive organs; Central nervous system; Musculoskeletal system; Wounds and injuries; Drowning |
| Classification | NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness; NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Human Factors |
| Geographical Coverage |
San Francisco (California) |
| Report Number | AM 68-19; DOT/FAA/AM-68/19 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39000/39036/AM68-19.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |