What is the first thing to do in case of an emergency on a plane?

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Loss of Braking memory action involves 8 steps

What is the first thing to do in case of an emergency on a plane?

I shall answer this Quora question from a pilot’s perspective.

Pilots will follow this mantra, ‘AVIATE, NAVIGATE, COMMUNUICATE’ when encountering an emergency.

They are taught to aviate, a pilot’s jargon to mean fly or save the plane first, then navigate or proceed to wherever appropriate and once the plane is under control, communicate.

To communicate, pilots use this mnemonic, ‘CCCCC’ (5 C’s), that is, CREW (in the cockpit), CABIN CREW, CONTROLLER, CUSTOMER, COMPANY as a quick reminder to ensure that all are kept informed of the emergency.

A pilot has a lot on his plate when he steps into the cockpit for flight. It’s quite different when compared with what a driver faces inside a car.  As he is responsible for so many lives on board the plane, there are certain specific actions he must never forget.

These actions are found under the ‘Memory Items’. They are not the same for different aircraft. A Boeing 777 memory items are different from the Airbus A330 ones. However, they serve the same purpose, that is, to carry out the most critical actions first from memory.

An aviator has many checklists that he needs to be familiar with. However, he need not have to memorise them all as they are the less critical ones that can be resolved by following the check lists.

There are nine memory items on the Airbus A330. They are crucial actions to be handled first. Any delay can result in a catastrophe.

For instance, a loss of braking during a landing is one of them. Unlike a car where the driver merely jams on the brakes for an emergency stop, there are 8 steps to be followed on the Airbus or else the plane runs out of the runway and probably crash into the ravine.

In addition, a pilot must know how to react immediately when on a collision course with another plane; heading onto a mountainous terrain or encountering wind shear during take-off or landing. During a loss of pressurization, he must descend immediately for at 35,000 feet, a person will lose consciousness in about 30 seconds.

Loss of airspeed or reacting instantly when the speed slows down in the air causing the plane to stall or drop off the sky are two further memory items to be mastered.

There are also many other emergencies on board the plane that are deemed not as critical. As such, they do not fall under the ‘Memory Items’ and can be handled by referring to the check lists.

An air passenger’s safety on board a plane is determined by the correct action of the pilot to save the day.

Hence, a captain and his first officer’s responsibility are very heavy ones. They need to constantly have the 9 Memory Items at their fingertips so as to react immediately should any emergencies crop up to ensure a safe flight.

So, the first thing to do in a plane emergency is to AVIATE.  In other words, use the memory items to get the plane under control first!

See a video of A320 Memory Items – Loss of braking here