(CNN) Last year, an Alaska Airlines flight at almost 16,000 feet had an explosive decompression after a door plug popped out, which was terrifying enough for anyone. However, one mother’s nightmare was especially severe because she believed she had lost her child due to the large hole in the plane’s side.
By mandating that parents buckle their infants in car seats, just as they must when traveling in a car, safety officials may have avoided this unthinkable catastrophe.
But there isn’t a rule like that, even after years of calls for one.
The terror on board the airplane is described in testimony given this week at the National Transportation Safety Board hearing into the incident and in transcripts of interviews with flight attendants conducted by NTSB investigators and made public this week.
The surge of air that accompanied the rapid decompression ripped off passengers’ clothing and blew their phones out of their hands, sending them hurtling into the night. It wasn’t until the jet touched down that the flight attendants realized they had lost any of the passengers.
Due to communication issues between the cabin and cockpit, they weren’t even certain at first whether the pilots themselves were conscious or in need of medical assistance.
The three infants on the aircraft, however, who were being held on their parents’ laps rather than in car seats, were one of the flight attendants’ biggest worries. During the event, one of those parents, a mother, reported to flight attendants that she had lost her son and thought he had been blasted outside the aircraft.
“What’s going on, what’s happening?” I asked as I held her. According to an interview transcript, one of the flight attendants told NTSB investigators, “I was holding my son and I think my son blew out the window.” At that moment, I raised my head to see the hole, and I began to shake.
Another flight attendant told investigators, “I didn’t realize at that point that mom was freaking out because she thought her son went out the window.”
Thankfully, the youngster had not gone out the hole, but neither the mother’s name nor the child’s whereabouts during the incident were mentioned in the NTSB transcripts. The 177 people on board, including the three newborns, were able to land the plane in a matter of minutes without suffering any severe physical damage.
Following the conclusion of its inquiry last week, the NTSB made many suggestions, one of which was to reiterate the Federal Aviation Administration’s requirement that passengers two years of age and under have their own seats for their own protection. The NTSB lacks the authority to impose such a mandate. For decades, it has been requesting such a rule from the government Aviation Administration (FAA), the government agency that establishes such regulations.
Hazards to newborns
Although components of airplanes don’t frequently fall off in midair, much more frequent turbulence can happen suddenly and throw babies from their parents’ arms.
On Tuesday, an NTSB investigator testified on cases in which babies were hurt amid extreme turbulence, one of them landing in an empty seat a few rows behind the child’s mother.
During the hearing, NTSB board member Thomas Chapman stated, “I’ve long believed that parents of lap children do not fully realize the serious risk to which they’re exposing their young children.” Experts concur that securing an infant in their own seat is the safest option. You might not be able to keep your infant safe in your arms if there is turbulence or worse.
According to Chapman, the NTSB has been advocating for a rule that requires infants to be buckled up in their seats, but we haven’t been successful in convincing the FAA that this is a matter that warrants their attention.
The FAA does not mandate the use of certified child/infant seats on airplanes, but it does encourage their use due to the safety benefits, according to a recommendation for airlines that is posted on the agency’s website.
“The FAA takes NTSB recommendations seriously and will carefully consider those issued yesterday,” the agency stated in a statement in response to a question from CNN regarding the absence of a rule. According to the statement, a youngster under two is safest in an authorized child-restraint system or device rather than on an adult’s lap. This can significantly improve the safety of kids when flying.
Math that can save lives
For the FAA, however, the calculations might be more complicated.
A representative for the agency told CNN that it is worried that forcing parents to purchase an additional ticket for air travel will encourage more of them to drive instead.
And while flying is a far safer mode of transportation than driving, the agency thinks that would put the parents and kids at more risk.
Airlines are probably concerned about losing income as more parents choose to drive instead.
In a statement, the industry trade group Airlines for America did not specifically address whether or not a rule mandating infants have their own seat should be implemented.
“U.S. airlines always prioritize the safety of all passengers and crew members, which is why we adhere to federal laws and rigorously follow the guidelines and rules established by our safety regulator, the FAA,” the association stated.
A rule mandating car seats for infants on airplanes is long overdue, according to Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, the largest organization of flight attendants in the world, who spoke to CNN. She stated that the union has been advocating for this kind of regulation for over 30 years.
According to Nelson, parents and flight attendants used to frequently locate an empty seat on the aircraft to install a child seat when the plane was less crowded. However, it is no longer the case.
Nelson stated that it is regrettable that we have neglected the security of those who are unable to voice up. We are aware that a car seat is the safest option and that holding your child in a crucial situation or during turbulence is dangerous.
According to her, children don’t have to remain in their car seats for the whole of a flight, as opposed to a car ride. However, a baby should be in a car seat at crucial times like takeoff, landing, and when the pilot issues a turbulence warning.
“No loving parent can hold onto their child in a situation like that if you hit clear air turbulence and the plane suddenly drops thousands of feet,” she claimed.
However, Nelson and a few safety specialists charged that the FAA prioritized airline profits over safety.
Enhancing safety is the NTSB’s only responsibility. According to Anthony Brickhouse, a crash investigator and aircraft safety consultant based in the United States, they are not worried about the financial implications. The FAA considers both the financial impact and safety. Since the dawn of time, money and safety have been at odds. And follow the money if you want to understand why they do anything.
According to Brickhouse, the lap infants probably would have been lost if they had been in or close to row 26, where the door plug flew out.
You must belt up in a car, but your parents can hold you on a plane. Why is that? “I said.” You would think that this near-miss could make a difference. The idea that tragedy is necessary for transformation is discouraging.
