Curling up like a baby may be the only thing that saved a crew member’s life on the doomed LaMia plane that crashed into a mountainous region in Colombia.
While passengers, many of them actually standing, screamed in panic aboard Flight 2933 as it plummeted 11,000 feet toward the ground, Erwin Tumiri braced for impact.
“I put the bags in between my legs to form the fetal position that is recommended in accidents,” he told Fox Sports Argentina.
Tumiri said he noticed that many of the 76 other people aboard the fateful flight weren’t using the lifesaving technique — either because they were unaware of its benefits or were too alarmed to stay still.
“During the situation, many stood up from their seats and they started to shout,” he said.
Tumiri was one of just six survivors.
While walking away from a plane crash is extremely rare, many airlines encourage passengers to use the brace position — which involves fliers putting their feet together on the floor and their head against the seat in front of them.
There are various theories as to why the brace position is encouraged.
Some are morbid — suggesting the posture preserves passengers’ teeth so that medical experts can better identify the person after the crash using their dental records.
This was the shocking scene that this crew member survived: