Investigating Aircraft Evacuation Performance in Deteriorating Conditions

Abstract

Accidents or serious incidents in aviation rarely result in a need to evacuate an aircraft. However, when the situation necessitates the action, the risk in terms of loss of life is significant. To ensure aircraft can be evacuated before passengers are overcome by smoke, fumes, and heat, the FAA requires all passengers to be deplaned in less than 90 seconds, with only half the exits accessible in darkness. In some situations, the number of exits can be further restricted, especially in the case of a fire post-impact. In this work we model the evacuation of the Airbus A220, with different exit configurations available. The benchmark maximum seat configuration of 125 seats was utilised. The evacuation modeling was undertaken in Pathfinder to compare to the industry requirement to evacuate all passengers in 90 seconds. The number and location of available exits were varied to determine their impact on the evacuation performance. The critical factor was found to be restrictions at the exits due to the single isle nature of the cabin configuration. This is an important design consideration for future aircraft types as we move away from the traditional tube and wing configuration.