Originally Posted by
martindo
I began wondering how water landings are tested. I assume the safety procedures are approved by testing of components: does the raft float with necessary weight capacity? does it pop open properly when the door is opened? But is a total field test ever done, other than when a water landing actually occurs? Has anyone in this forum experienced a water landing?
I don't think that any airline or aircraft manufacture ever did ditch an aircraft to field test the survival equipment. The life raft manufacture do extensive testing to get the approval. They probably froze the raft, put under extreme heat, punched it, poked it etc. to see what it can withstand. They probably even did open water testing.
Still water landings are very very rare and the worst case scenario. Even if water landings occur it will be always very close to the coast and not in the middle of the ocean. So the raft has the purpose to get you to the shore alive and not to float around for days in the open water.