Onboard most commercial aircraft are a selection of survival and rescue tools such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, defibrillators and crash axes. Although the crew knows where such items are they are usually stowed behind unmarked panels that normally go unnoticed by passengers.
Most crash axes, although built to double as fire axes, are more along the lines of a hatchet in size, ranging between 16” and 20” long with a hatchet or tomahawk sized head. The smaller size allows them to be stowed easily and makes them easier to use inside the confines of an aircraft. Several types of FAA approved crash axes exist, but the average size envelope remains the same.
The two designs I have personally encountered are as follows: The first having a hatchet head, with a hammer on the reverse and a pry-bar extension protruding from the top, the second closely resembles the World-War II era “SPAX” military crash axe. This second axe is in fact much closer to the original SPAX in design than the current version manufactured by Ontario Knife Company, although the difference is mainly in the handles.
The value of these items as survival and rescue tools is well proven, documented and understood but there is another dimension to their usefulness. Although after the significant act of 9/11 the likelihood of further airline hijackings or incidents involving airplanes is reduced the possibility still exists. Lone extremists and “crazies” acting without direction from a group (save possibly the voices in their head) still can pose a threat. Airline related terror has had an extremely high international visibility in recent years and has a strong recognition level with the general public, making it an obvious and prominent choice for the lone actor.
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