Long Beach Woman Paralyzed in Airplane Evacuation Drill

A 60-year-old Long Beach woman remained hospitalized Wednesday, permanently paralyzed from the neck down after being injured during evacuation drills last weekend at Douglas Aircraft Co., officials said.

Dorothy Myles of Long Beach was among 47 people injured during the practice evacuations for an MD-11 jetliner. Douglas spokeswoman Renee Handler said the accident occurred as 410 people were playing the part of passengers exiting the plane on a slide for tests required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials said Myles slid headfirst down an evacuation chute.

Of those who were hurt, 21 were treated for minor injuries at the scene, Handler said, while 23 were treated at nearby hospitals and released. Myles and two others with ankle fractures were admitted to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Hospital spokesman Ron Yukelson said Myles sustained a cervical spine fracture and will be “paralyzed and respirator-dependent for the rest of her life.”

Handler said most of the 421 participants--including 11 playing roles as crew members--were Douglas employees, but Myles was among 54 outsiders hired for $49 each.

According to FAA spokesman Fred Farrar, “Douglas was complying with our requirements for certification of their airplane.” The test requires a manufacturer to prove that in the event of a survivable crash, all passengers can exit within 90 seconds.

Injuries are “common” in such tests, Farrar said. “We know it causes injuries. Whenever we have a real evacuation you have injuries too.” FAA officials were present at the test, but Farrar said he did not know if the agency was planning an investigation into the incident.

Handler said minor injuries had occurred in two previous drill tests held at Douglas during the past 19 years and that “participants were informed of this.”

Douglas officials reviewed film footage Wednesday, she said, and found Myles was the only person who went down the slide head first.

“While this is a tragedy and highly unexpected, you have to look at what happened,” Handler said. “She was the one person who came out of the plane in a far different manner.” Asked if crew members were at the top of the slide to position evacuees correctly, Handler replied, “It would be impossible to say.”

She declined to comment what efforts the company was taking to help Myles, but said, “She’s subject like all other participants to workers’ compensation benefits.”

According to Yukelson, Myles has had no visitors while in the hospital, although he said he had been told that two sisters were en route to Long Beach from Louisiana.