What actually happens when a plane crashes?

December 4, 2018 4:28 PM

When an airplane crashes, what logistically happens for the next of kin? How are they informed? How are they kept up-to-date? I'm interested in any anecdotal information or articles/books that explain and detail what it is actually like for those left waiting and wondering what has happened.
posted by meerkatty to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

I seem to recall Michael Tolkin's Among The Dead covers this in a fair amount detail for a work of fiction.

Be careful. It's a dark tale.
posted by philip-random at 10:08 PM on December 4, 2018

I used to work for an airline and one of the main things I remember is that the airline was required by law to have enough cash on hand to pay every family of a decedent $25,000. As in the family came to the airport once they heard of the crash and were handed a check for $25,000.
posted by bendy at 10:34 PM on December 4, 2018

From the airline's perspective, you can find quite a few case studies by searching for "crisis communication plan plane crash". This one looks quite detailed.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 9:43 AM on December 5, 2018

Best answer: This gets discussed a lot in the novel Birds in Fall (which is about a terrible plane crash and how people get notified and then what they do and how they deal)
posted by jessamyn at 3:59 PM on December 5, 2018 [1 favorite]