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Which parts of an airplane (to make this question more specific: accessible in the main fuselage where the passengers are aboard) are made of buoyant material.

Imagine a plane is about to crash into the sea, you might wanna hang on to something that could keep you afloat, so here’s a few things that I think are buoyant(based on the floating debris seen after a crash):

  1. The life vest/jackets which we can inflate
  2. Seats
  3. The doors(the ones through which we enter or any other door)

Which things would someone want to hold onto, to increase chances of survival?

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Passengers are reminded of #1 & 2 above on every safety brief.

Beyond that, you aren't going to get up out of your seat before the crash and attempt to latch on to some buoyant part of the structure, so it isn't an actionable question in the context it is asked. (Which is a polite way of saying who cares...)

Stay in your seat until the violent motion stops, then follow the instructions of the surviving crew to evacuate the aircraft in an orderly manner.

Allow women and children to go first if able. Whatever might be floating after the crash is over is buoyant, and may be used.

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    $\begingroup$ @Valay_17 You have your life to lose. Even the most gentle ditching is likely to be fairly violent. You're much more likely to survive the initial impact, and have fewer major injuries, if you're seated with your seat belt fastened. Given the typical speed of an aircraft, "running backward" isn't going to make hardly any practical difference in impact force, and will do absolutely nothing for sideways and vertical forces. $\endgroup$
    – HiddenWindshield
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 14:21
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    $\begingroup$ Or, if you survive, you are brought up on charges for failure to obey the crew and endangering other passengers for your selfish and desperate actions. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 14:41
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    $\begingroup$ Survival of EVERYONE is important. So, stay in your seat!!! $\endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 14:53
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    $\begingroup$ @Valay_17 (1/2) There's a video (I can't find it right now, so no link) demonstrating the need for child seats. In it, a bodybuilder tried to hold on to a child dummy in an actual 30 mph (50 km/h) car crash (obviously the guy was strapped in tightly, had a helmet, etc.). Even though he was curled up around the dummy as tight as possible, he wasn't able to hold on to it, and the dummy exited the car through the windshield. Now, if a bodybuilder can't even do that much, do you really think you're going to be able to hold on to anything at all in a 160 mph (250 km/h) crash? $\endgroup$
    – HiddenWindshield
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 16:36
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    $\begingroup$ @Valay_17 (2/2) Studies have shown that being in the back of the plane is, generally speaking, safer than being in the front. I think that's where you're getting the "run to the back" idea from. But, you see, those studies implicitly assume that everyone's safely strapped into their seats, not running around the cabin while failing to hold on to random crap. That is a much, much, much more dangerous place than seated with your seatbelt fastened, even if said seat is in the very front row. $\endgroup$
    – HiddenWindshield
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 16:37

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