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What Happens To The Brain In The Final Moments Before A Plane Crash? Explained
To answer that, News18 spoke to neurologists, psychologists, and trauma specialists who help unpack the biological reality of a high-impact crash—what the brain experiences in the final moments.
Brain-Led Instincts In The Final Seconds
According to experts, as the aircraft begins its uncontrolled descent, the brain activates primitive survival mechanisms, and the human body releases 'adrenaline' due to extreme fear.
'In the final seconds before a high-impact crash, the human body enters a state of extreme stress. Adrenaline is released, heart rate spikes, breathing becomes rapid, and muscles tense up," explains Dr Shobha Sharma, consultant psychologist at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, Ghaziabad.
Mentally, people may experience heightened alertness or paradoxical calm. 'People may experience racing thoughts, tunnel vision, or even a strange sense of calm or detachment. Time can feel like it slows down."
Dr Rajul Aggarwal, director, neurology, at Delhi-based Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, explained that at such a point, the body is wracked with sheer fear and adrenaline. 'The reality is that in a high-impact scenario, the brain does not have the time to process the feeling of pain or fear for long."
Do victims remain conscious?/strong>
When the aircraft hits, the brain suffers severe physical trauma. The result or consequence depends on the speed and angle of the impact, the location of the individual in the aircraft and whether the individual was wearing any protective equipment, such as seatbelts.
'The brain is considered very vulnerable, and in a sudden impact of violent deceleration, there is a possibility that the brain can slam against the skull, causing a very serious injury to the health of an individual, such as diffuse axonal injury or many others," Aggarwal added.
According to Dr Dhavapalani Alagappan, head, emergency response department at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, there are high chances that the majority of people would have lost consciousness before the plane caught fire. 'The height and speed would cause huge trauma to the brain and other parts of the human body. The impact on the head would have been massive. A small proportion of people could have been aware till the last moment, but otherwise, many would have already lost their senses."
Explaining this scientifically, Dr Anandh Balasubramaniam, senior consultant, head of department, neurosurgery, at Faridabad-based Amrita Hospital said, 'Severe deceleration during a crash causes abrupt violence to internal organs. … diffuse axonal injury—where neurons shear torn due to momentum differentials."
However, the real scenario depends on crash dynamics. 'In cases of gradual decompression—like MH17 —victims may remain conscious during descent until impact. Similarly, rapid cabin depressurisation can cause loss of consciousness within seconds due to sudden hypoxia."
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Dr Balasubramaniam was referring to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which in 2014 was hit by a missile at high altitude, and investigators believe some passengers may have remained conscious during the long descent before the final impact. A similar case was with Air France Flight 447 in 2009. In this case, the aircraft stalled mid-air and took over three minutes to descend, suggesting the possibility that passengers were aware during the fall, intensifying psychological trauma.
