Those of us who fly jets, especially single pilot, know the importance of understanding the use of the oxygen mask. Flying at altitudes up to FL450, we have just a few seconds after a complete loss of pressurized air to put it on before we lose consciousness. Even more frequent is the slow loss of cabin pressure and our inability to recognize the situation.
Passing out at those altitudes can have tragic consequences.
One of the most memorable accidents involved professional golfer Payne Stuart, flying as a passenger in a Lear 35 from Florida to Dallas in the fall of 1999. The Lear lost cabin pressure, and the crew and Stewart perished unconscious in North Dakota after fuel exhaustion.
In May of 2016, a Citation 501 flying at night suffered a catastrophic failure of a safety valve in the pressurization system at FL430. The cabin instantly lost pressure. The pilot reached for his mask but was unable to put it on before he passed out. Same for the passengers. The airplane descended out of control until the pilot woke up at 7,000 feet. Miraculously, he managed to safely land the aircraft, and everyone walked away. The airplane was permanently wrinkled.
Putting your mask on immediately is very important.
As I prepared a presentation for a Citation Jet Pilot’s meeting on this very topic, I realized that my wife Patty might be asked if we had practiced what I preached.
“Patty, we need to go to the airport and have you don the mask to experience the discomfort,” I said.
“No,” she answered. My persuasive skills, however, won out.
In the hangar, Patty practiced donning the mask and trying to see the PFD (primary flight display).
The mask fit very firmly as she breathed in the cool O2.
At the conclusion of our practice, and because I am cheap, I decided to shut off the oxygen to save a little money. Little did I realize that doing this would firmly lock the mask onto Patty’s face.
What ensued was an “emergency” created by my stupidity.
With the mask now unmovable, Patty began screaming something like, “I can’t breathe,” and then a lengthy barrage of muffled words that I had not heard since high school.
I think she said something about my mother.
Vibrant colors filled her face as her lips turned slightly blue. For a split second (Patty said it was several minutes), our almost 50 years of marriage flashed through my head.
What would the police report look like, I wondered: “Completely healthy woman dies while in airplane cockpit wearing oxygen mask.”
Then it occurred to me. Turn the oxygen valve back on, you idiot. Instantly, the pressure filled the mask and released its tentacles from Patty’s face.
Needless to say, she was not a happy camper. She immediately texted her friend Cindy with a complete report.
“So, David took me to the airport to get acquainted with the new/old airplane and had me practice putting on and taking off the oxygen mask. Only as we finished up, he TURNED OFF THE OXYGEN, AND I WAS STILL WEARING THE MASK. You can’t breathe when the oxygen is turned off, and you can’t get the mask off either!”
“He’s tried to kill me again!”
So much for my safety briefing.
Fly safe.
P.S. I asked Patty if she would put the mask on again so I could take her picture for this article. Note to self: Do not ask this question.
