Pilots Will Parachute From The Aircraft Filled With Cameras And Equipment

Britain's Channel 4 says it will air a documentary in which a jet is intentionally crashed in the desert. The documentary "Plane Crash" is scheduled to air sometime in 2010.

The date and location of the filming are being kept under wraps, and it is only reported that the aircraft will be a "300 seat airliner," according to the newspaper "The Guardian."

There will be pilots aboard the plane for the first portion of the flight, but they will parachute from the aircraft after setting the autopilot to ensure a crash. The documentary producers say they will fill the aircraft with crash test dummies, simulated luggage, sensors, and cameras to record the impact. They say it will provide "invaluable information" about how an airplane reacts when it impacts the ground at a high rate of speed.

Channel 4 also hopes the crash footage will draw a large audience.

The Documentary producers say that the footage will give safety researchers "unprecedented insight" into how seatbelts and other safety equipment react in a crash, as well as what happens with things like luggage in overhead compartments and other items in the cabin. Producer Geoff Deehan, of independent production company Dragonfly, said "It will give us unprecedented answers to the big question: how can we make air crashes more survivable?"

He also said it will make "specatcular television."

FMI: www.channel4.com