There have been myths surrounding the use of the brace procedure . One is that adopting the brace posture is only useful for preserving dental integrity for identification after a crash ; another myth is that the position is designed to increase the chance of death to reduce insurance-paid medical cost . These myths have been debunked with evidence that the brace position " does indeed work to preserve lives in an air disaster . " In instances where the brace procedure has been adopted , injuries are reduced and lives are saved . In one accident , sixteen passengers were asleep on a twin-engined aircraft that was about to collide with trees . One passenger awoke , braced himself , and was the only survivor . When Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751 crashed in 1991 , all passengers aboard survived ; a " significant factor " to this outcome was the passengers ' universal adoption of the brace position . During the " Miracle on the Hudson " emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009 , the pilot warned " Brace for Impact " and flight attendants chanted , " Brace ! Brace ! Brace ! Heads down ! Stay down ! " All 155 people on board survived with no life-threatening injuries . In a press interview , one of the surviving crew members of LaMia Flight 2933 said that he survived because he followed the emergency protocols by putting his carry-on suitcase between his legs and sitting in the brace position
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
Brace position