Plane Crash Scenarios
Do you ever wonder what you would do if faced with a crisis that threatens your life and possibly the lives of others? One of my favorite books is And I Alone Survived (1978), written by Lauren Elder about a life-changing experience that happened to her and two others in 1976. This true life story begins when Lauren boards a small Cessna 182 airplane with Jay Fuller, the pilot, and his companion, Jean Noller. They plan to fly from Oakland to Furnace Creek, a desert oasis resort in Death Valley National Park in southeastern California. Jay was an experienced pilot but miscalculated the location of the pass over the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and the plane crashed just before reaching the summit. Both Jay and Jean died before the first night was over due to their injuries and the subfreezing temperatures. Certain she would not survive if she remained at the crash site, Lauren hiked down the eastern face of the Sierras and across the high desert to the town of Independence, a trek of approximately 20 miles, much of it straight down the mountainside through fields of snow. For most it would be a terrifying and quite possibly fatal expedition, but Lauren, dressed in a skirt and low heels, conjured up the drive, the willpower, and the skill to navigate her way down the mountain and lived to tell her story. I have read the story several times, and I am always amazed at her courage and her indomitable will to live. What was she thinking and feeling? What did she do to overcome her doubts and forge a plan to survive? I wonder if I could be like her: could I make it, or would I surrender to the forces of nature and die on the mountain? How about you? Do you have what it takes to survive a crisis of that magnitude?
In a more recent life-threatening plane crash, in January 2009 US Airways Flight 1549 was only 90 seconds into the flight when it had to set down in the Hudson River after a flock of geese pounded the windshield and knocked out both engines. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger said he felt an adrenaline rush right to the core of his being. In spite of this physical reaction to the crisis, he knew he had a job to do and did not allow his physical reaction to the crisis to distract him from the task at hand. He knew that no modern airliner had ditched in the water without fatalities. But due to the calm and organized thinking under stress of Captain Sullenberger and his crew, he was able to set the plane down intact and all passengers and crew miraculously survived. Could I do that? Could you? Can you maintain your calm in a major crisis?
The Tucson Shootings
On January 8, 2011, a lone gunman fired at U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords at near point blank range and then turned to the crowd that had gathered to hear her address and began firing randomly. Six people, including a 9-year-old girl died that day, and another 14 were injured. This shooting spree shocked the nation. Daniel Hernandez, just 20 years old and a college student interning for Representative Giffords, rushed to Giffords’ side and propped her up so she wouldn’t choke on her own blood. Doctors say Daniel’s actions may have saved Giffords’ life. He stayed with her in the ambulance and assured her that everything would be all right. Roger Salzgeber and 74-year-old retired Army National Guard Colonel Bill Badger, who also was injured, tackled the shooter. Joe Zamudio helped pin him to the ground. Sixty-one-year-old Patricia Maisch grabbed the magazine the shooter had dropped while trying to reload, and then knelt on his ankles. You don’t have to be a trained and seasoned emergency worker or law enforcement officer to respond effectively to a crisis. In the Tucson shooting, young and old alike were able to respond effectively. Could you? How do you think you would react in a situation like this shooting?
Newtown School Shooting
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, resulted in the deaths of 20 young children and 6 adults in the most horrific and deadly elementary school shooting ever. The tragedy led to disbelief, grief, and soul-searching around the globe. That event touched and saddened every one of us. Yet, in the darkness of tragedy, heroes emerged and reacted in a way that saved lives. The principal thought quickly under pressure and activated the school intercom so all could hear that something horrible was occurring and could seek shelter. Then the principal and school counselor charged the gunman in an attempt to stop him; they both lost their lives. Teacher Kaitlin Roig moved her 15 students into a small bathroom and barricaded the door. She was terrified and could hear the shooting nearby in the hallway and expected the gunman to come after her group next. Still, in the midst of this crisis, she comforted her kids saying, “There are bad guys out there, and we have to wait for the good guys to come. I love you all very much, and we will all be okay.” She said she wanted that to be the last thing they heard. She asked them to show her their smiles. When the police came, and fearing it was the gunman posing as police, she maintained her composure and asked them to slip their badges under the door and to get the key to the bathroom because the good guys would know where the keys are. Kaitlin did a magnificent job of acting and reacting with composure under extreme stress in a life-threatening situation. How was she able to pull that off? How do you think you would have handled that situation?
Some Everyday Crises
George is becoming more and more impatient with his sons, who are 13 and 16, and their “teenage attitude” that borders on being disrespectful and rude. He has talked with the boys about this in the past, but their attitude that mom and dad are stupid and set unrealistic limits on them is getting to be too much to endure.
Bryan and Shondra have been married for 2 years. They have solid jobs, but just don’t make enough to make ends meet financially. The credit card bills are mounting, and they were hoping to be able to save enough money to make a down payment on a house. Now that Shondra is pregnant, they are faced with tough decisions regarding their future financial security.
Mary is 70 years old, recently widowed, and has a nice apartment and a modest Social Security income. She was recently diagnosed with severe arthritis and is beginning to have difficulty getting around the apartment. She is feeling anxious and depressed as she faces aging and illness all by herself.
We can think of countless people who have faced the summit and overcome the immobilization that fear creates. Many have been heroic even in the face of extreme fear. We also may know people who have not been able to overcome. Who makes it, and who doesn’t? Do you have what it takes? Let’s take a look at what you need to know and do to better manage crisis situations and how this book can be of help to you.
Crisis Defined
This book is about stress and crisis in our lives. Stress can be defined as a feeling of strain and pressure which originates internally or externally. It may be acute or chronic. We could subjectively assign a score of 1-10 in terms of the level of stress the event incurs for us. Those stressful events at the higher end of the scale can be seen as a crisis. Crisis refers to a significant event in life that is stressful, emotionally charged, requires decision making or intervention, taxes your coping mechanisms, and is something that you define as a crisis. A crisis can be a positive experience or a negative experience. It doesn’t have to be a forest fire, a flood, a death in the family—it can be your child bringing home a D grade, finding yourself in the throes of bankruptcy, or driving on a rain-slicked highway. It can be marriage problems, having a newborn baby, moving to a new home, or learning that your daughter is accepted to Stanford University (with its high tuition fees). Essentially, anything you perceive as a crisis IS a crisis for you. The perception of crisis is largely in the eye of the beholder.
“I guess I’m in a pickle without a paddle!” said a woman at the teller’s window who was trying to talk her way out of paying the late fees from failing to pay her credit card bill on time. Although the bank teller was trying to be kind, he explained that bank policies are what they are, and he couldn’t do anything about that. I guess I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but her story was actually quite compelling. She had medical expenses and had no insurance and was required to pay the full amount for every office visit and all lab work as well. She promised to pay the bank the day she received her next paycheck, but the teller said that just wasn’t good enough. She definitely was in a “pickle without a paddle” (or more accurately, “up a creek without a paddle” or “in a pickle”), and this was a crisis for her.
I heard from a good friend that he had been trying to get up the steam to organize and clean his garage ever since he retired. This crisis increases in severity every day that he procrastinates. The more he thinks about the