Manufacturer Says System Has Saved Five Lives
AmSafe makes airbags --
for airplanes. You may have heard of them. And if you have, you
might have wondered how well they work.
The company says its AmSafe Aviation Inflatable Restraint (AAIR)
system, a seat- and shoulder-belt mounted airbag design, has saved
lives in three separate GA accidents. The company claims five
separate occupants in those three accidents received no
life-threatening injuries. In fact, all were able to evacuate the
aircraft without help.
"Helping to prevent the loss of life constitutes the ultimate
reward for the thousands of man hours that went into researching,
developing, testing and implementing the AAIR system," said Ken
Beckemeyer, president of AmSafe, Inc., parent of AmSafe Aviation.
"The positive outcomes of these accidents serve as significant
validation for what years of safety restraint testing have shown us
-- airbags on aircraft can save lives."
AOPA's Air Safety Foundation annual Nall report shows more than
50-percent of GA accidents happen during taxi, takeoff or landing.
Industry experts say surviving many accidents is primarily a matter
of remaining conscious, and avoiding an injury to the head or neck
precluding self-evacuation.
AmSafe says it's AAIR system is designed to do just that. The
company claims similar levels of protection one might expect in a
modern automobile airbag system.
The AAIR is built into a seat belt or shoulder harness. The
crash sensor is self-contained with a seven-year battery -- there
is no need for ship's power. The entire system including a
high-pressure gas bottle -- providing the inflation mechanism --
weighs just 1.5 pounds.
"Twenty years ago
people wondered about the value of installing airbags in cars, but
now you wouldn't think of getting in a car that didn't have one,"
said Bill Hagan, president of AmSafe Aviation. "The same safety
restraint measures are essential when flying. These recent
accidents, and the fact that the occupants survived the impact,
further illustrate the importance of having pilot and passenger
seats equipped with an airbag restraint system."
AmSafe says the system is most effective for those accidents
involving a frontal impact. Just as in an automobile, AmSafe's AAIR
inflates in front of an occupant preventing impact with immobile
objects like the control column or instrument panel.
AmSafe's system is FAA-certified for installation in both GA
aircraft and commercial airliners. The manufacturer claims AAIR has
logged millions of trouble-free flight hours. It also claims its
system is installed in over 80% of new single-engine GA aircraft
delivered as standard or optional equipment.