Abstract
From 1969 through 1972, 78 Navy Helicopters crashed at sea with a loss of 63 lives (10 due to injuries; the remaining 53 persons either drowned or were lost at sea). To reverse the trend toward fatalities following aircraft crashes at sea, the Navy has begun training all flight personnel in the 9D5 Multi-Place Universal Underwater Egress Trainer. This paper examines the relationship between performance (n=267) in the 9D5 device, swimming test scores and subjective anxiety scores. Mile-swim times were predictive of group (but not individual) performance in the 9D5 device with faster swimmers performing better. Poor egress performance when blindfolded was attributed to egress path difficulty and disorientation. Findings can be applied to the design of egress aids, training and motivation of subjects and the effects of anxiety upon subject performance in carrying out sequential tasks while totally immersed in water.
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