On June 13, 1996 an airplane crashed just after takeoff at Fukuoka airport. The causes and levels of injuries suffered by passengers following the crash and resulting fire are reported.
21 of the injured passengers were sent to our facility. There were 10 males and 11 females with an average age of 44.9 years (range 16-64 years). 6 patients (1 male, 5 females) had suffered fractures, 15 had contusions and 9 had sprains.
All of the fractures occurred as a result of the passenger jumping from a hole in the main hull of the aircraft generated during the crash, from the main wings, or from an emergency exit door. The height of the jump was about 3 meters in all cases. Fracture types were; one burst fracture of L1, one compression fracture of Th12, one compression fracture of L1, two compression fractures of L2 and one fracture of the left calcaneus.
