Curse you for being in an earlier time zone! I wanted to be the first one to post it this year.

Curse you for being in an earlier time zone! I wanted to be the first one to post it this year.

Surprisingly, no. They counted deaths from exposure, drowning, etc as fatalities in this study: https://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/features/the-myths-of-ditching/

This is just a review of NTSB data and some ditchings may have gone unreported. The main point is that ditching, even in the open ocean is very survivable.

https://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/features/the-myths-of-ditching/

Sorry for the wait. I had family visiting and completely forgot about my comment. I believe I recall an FAA study with similar findings, but I can’t find it atm.

Remember kids, according to an FAA review of accidents, no type of water ditching has lower than an eighty percent survivability rating. So putting it in the drink is always an option.