Brace position

In that incident, the pilot announced "Prepare for crash landing" 10 seconds before impact, and the resulting injuries—from both those who did and did not adopt the brace position—would later be studied.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority funded an engineering–medical joint research team, led by Nigel Rock of Hawtal Whiting Engineering Consultants and Prof. Angus Wallace of the Nottingham University Hospital and aided by Wing Commander David Anton of the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine.

Crash data was supplemented by medical information from the University of Nottingham and testing at the Institute of Aviation Medicine.

The work used mathematical modelling derived from the automobile industry to analyse the human body under crash conditions.

This work led to the formation of the International Board for Research into Aircraft Crash Events (IBRACE) on 21 November 2016.

The brace position as set out to airlines in the UK for passengers in forward-facing seats is based on extensive analytical work arising from Kegworth.

The brace procedure for the forward-facing seat in the United States is similar to that of the UK, but rather than placing the hands on the back of the head, passengers are advised to place them on the top of the seat in front, one hand holding the other wrist and resting the head in the space between the arms.

This position provides the flight attendant protection to the face from any flying debris (as it will impact their elbows) yet still provides them with the ability to view the cabin and not muffle their commands.

[2] Instead, US flight attendants are typically taught to sit on their hands, palms facing the ceiling, underneath their upper legs.

Some airlines also require flight attendants to tuck their chin in to their chest ("Bow to the captain") to reduce the likelihood of whiplash injuries.

The belief is that this mental review focuses the attendant on the safety-critical role they have during take-off and landing and will result in faster decision-making and adaptation to the scenario.

The depiction of how to adopt the brace position is not a basic standard set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

[11] Conspiracy theories and urban legends spread through the internet since the 2000s suggest that the brace position is ineffective at stopping injuries or deaths, and that the actual intention behind its adoption is to kill passengers in crashes, either to ensure a painless death, preserve their remains, or to avoid lawsuits against the airline.