Effects of motivation and cabin configuration on emergency aircraft evacuation behavior and rates of egress

Evidence from aircraft accident investigations suggests that the behavior of the passengers during the course of an emergency evacuation can have a dramatic effect on their survival chances. In some cases, the design of the cabin interior has been cited as a mitigating factor in delayed cabin egress. The research described in this article formed the first stage of a longitudinal program of research designed to address these concerns and to identify means by which emergency evacuations may be optimized. A series of full-scale evacuation simulations were performed in which the cabin design was systematically varied and which offered financial incentives to motivate volunteers to compete. Additionally, a number of similar evacuations without the financial incentive were carried out to simulate evacuations performed in less life-threatening circumstances. The results revealed that blockages adjacent to the exits were more likely to occur when space was at a minimum, although serious blockages occurred only when volunteers were competing with one another. Evacuation rates were also found to be affected by aircraft or cabin configurational changes. Those evacuations requiring that volunteers pass through the aperture by the midcabin bulkheads were found to be accelerated by an increase in the aperture width. This was also true for evacuations through a Type III emergency exit, up to a point beyond which rates were found to decline. Recommendations for optimum configurations were made on the basis of these results.