The ergonomics of jettisoning escape hatches in a ditched helicopter

The first formal investigation of the problem of location, operation and jettison of escape windows and hatches of helicopters following ditching has been conducted in a new simulator. There were 48 aircrew who attempted 298 escapes using a variety of 24 escape routes and 9 different types of escape hatches. Overall results, while superficially indicating that the task was easy, in fact revealed many unforeseen problems. Specifically, there was no standardization of hatches and levers, there were problems with location and operation of levers principally due to poor design, and an ergonomics study has not been conducted to investigate the problem. Underwater escape training with hatches in position must be mandatory for all who fly off-shore or over water for a living, and further research should be conducted to design a better standard hatch and jettison system.