Parachute rescue: new technology for surviving plane crashes (2 photos + 1 video)
Just think about it, in just the first six months of 2025, 460 people died in plane crashes, which is significantly higher than the average annual figure of the last decades, which is about 284 fatalities.
In the world of aviation, passenger safety has always been the number one priority. However, despite all efforts, plane crashes continue to take lives. The idea of placing passengers in a special compartment has been nurtured since 2016, and periodically engineers from around the world post their developments on thematic sites on this topic.
The idea is simple in principle: build planes so that in the event of an accident, passengers can escape with a parachute in a special capsule.
When a plane crashes, the chances of passengers surviving are extremely small. Even in business class, where conditions are more comfortable, passengers do not receive parachutes. This leads to the fact that in the event of an accident, people are left defenseless. According to statistics, more than 100 thousand people have died in plane crashes in recent years. Technology can change this situation.
Engineers propose designing planes in such a way that in the event of an emergency, the passenger compartment separates from the rest of the plane. Then, with the help of two improved parachutes, the passenger cabin could be safely landed on the ground or water. In theory, this would avoid injuries and save lives.
But experts are very skeptical. The thing is that most plane crashes happen during takeoff or landing, which leaves little time to deploy parachutes, and the weight and size of such a system for a large aircraft are prohibitive. In addition, the speed of commercial airliners during flight makes parachute deployment extremely dangerous, potentially causing more harm than good.
So this idea will most likely remain in drawings and animations.