I am no expert on airplanes, so perhaps I don't understand the logic in this episode of "Quincy". All I know is that if I am on an airliner and it plunges into the sea, I am really not that sure how much it will help to have life rafts---at least in a typical water landing/crash. However, in the case of "Scream to the Skies", Quincy and the rest of the staff see a rare case where an airliner crashes off shore and the folks mostly survive the crash--only to die due to hypothermia. The focus of the episode is twofold--for Quincy to work through his depression after seeing just one body too many as well as his latest crusade--to get the FAA to require inflatable rafts on airplanes in addition to the standard life jackets.
Despite the logical possibilities and preachiness of the show, this is a very good episode. In particular, the ending really hits you very hard and it was well made and gets its point across.
UPDATE: I did a bit of checking and life rafts or the use of inflatable slides as rafts is now common on US airliners. However, the availability is NOT on all planes. The same article also went on to admit that the last time anyone in the US died because there was no raft was 1978--and this was from drowning not hypothermia.
Despite the logical possibilities and preachiness of the show, this is a very good episode. In particular, the ending really hits you very hard and it was well made and gets its point across.
UPDATE: I did a bit of checking and life rafts or the use of inflatable slides as rafts is now common on US airliners. However, the availability is NOT on all planes. The same article also went on to admit that the last time anyone in the US died because there was no raft was 1978--and this was from drowning not hypothermia.