Bill McGee

Special for USA TODAY

We’ve all heard it’s illegal to shout fire in a crowded theater. But what are the legal and moral implications of blocking exits on a crowded airplane that’s on fire? It’s a quandary that airlines and regulators can no longer ignore.

The tragic Aeroflot Flight 1492 accident in Moscow earlier this week claimed 41 lives. But even more tragic is that multiple media reports indicate some of those lives may have been saved if those evacuating hadn’t stopped to retrieve carry-on baggage, as photos from the crash scene illustrate.

In recent decades commercial aviation technology has greatly improved safety in almost every aspect — avoiding accidents, surviving accidents, containing post-accident smoke and fires, and safely evacuating all onboard.

But technology has its limits, and this particular problem is because of human factors that could possibly endanger lives over the need to rescue a laptop, carry-on or suitcase.

Not a new problem

For years these incidents have occurred with alarming frequency on airlines all over the world. And other factors have hindered quicker evacuations: checked baggage fees have caused more carry-ons to clog cabins, tighter airline seats, record-high passenger load factors and the distraction of ubiquitous electronic devices. But human behavior has become the greatest obstacle of all.

Unfortunately, this is not a new issue. I first wrote about this issue in 2016 — detailing images of fleeing passengers dragging baggage after crashes in Shanghai, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and Dubai — and again in 2018 — noting an astounding 95.7% of occupants have survived accidents on scheduled airlines in recent decades. But I warned that eventually those retrieving personal items during an emergency evacuation could kill someone.

The Association of Flight Attendants admonished against taking carry-ons in an emergency landing as the group paid tribute on Monday to Aeroflot’s Maxim Moiseyev, a flight attendant who died in the line of duty while saving lives.

“Reports from people on the plane indicate the evacuation may have been slowed by passengers grabbing their bags. Videos show passengers taking their carry-on bags with them as they exited the plane," the AFA said in a statement. "We will never know if more lives could have been saved if the bags were left behind.”

How to evacuate in an emergency

There are best practices for evacuating an airplane that can save lives — including your own.

Follow all instructions from crew members.

from crew members. Stay buckled up until instructed to evacuate.

until instructed to evacuate. Keep your row clear of any objects.

of any objects. Be aware of your surroundings. This means counting the rows to your nearest exit(s), since smoke or darkness may later obscure your view.

This means counting the rows to your nearest exit(s), since smoke or darkness may later obscure your view. Listen to the safety briefing and check the seat-back safety card no matter how frequently you fly because there can be major differences among aircraft cabins.

and check the seat-back safety card no matter how frequently you fly because there can be major differences among aircraft cabins. Keep your shoes on. Also, avoid flip-flops that can fall off, as well as sharp heels that catch on evacuation slides.

Also, avoid flip-flops that can fall off, as well as sharp heels that catch on evacuation slides. If holding an infant, jump onto an evacuation slide rather than sitting and sliding. A detailed 2001 study from the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2001 found that tactic led to faster evacuation.

Seeking solutions for the carry-on problem

The Aeroflot tragedy may bring a new focus to this issue and generate new solutions. It will be up to investigators in Russia to determine how many of the 41 lives lost Sunday may have been saved had everyone onboard followed evacuation instructions.

The Federal Aviation Administration states it clearly: “In the unlikely event that you need to evacuate, leave your bags and personal items behind. Your luggage is not worth your life.”

In the U.S., airline crew members are trained to evacuate commercial aircraft within 90 seconds, and every one of those 90 seconds is quite precious indeed. Yet time and again in recent years we’ve seen serious accidents in which everyone got off safely, perhaps most notably when all 155 onboard US Airways Flight 1549 were evacuated in the Hudson River in 2009 — a miraculous landing and rescue that sparked the 2016 film "Sully" starring Tom Hanks.

Nearly 20 years ago the National Transportation Safety Board published a comprehensive safety study on emergency evacuations and recommended the FAA develop ways to address the carry-on luggage problem.

Potential solutions have included enhancing warnings on safety briefing cards and oral briefings from cabin staff. Others have suggested automatic locking devices on overhead bins, though experts warn of the unintended consequences of locking up safety equipment or isolating fires inside bins.

And there are some who recommend punitive or even criminal action against those who needlessly block egress during life-threatening evacuations.

It’s time for the aviation community — airlines and government agencies alike — to address this issue head-on and develop real solutions. But the most pressing question of all may be: How do you regulate common sense? No electronic device, no passport, no medication, no wallet full of cash is worth the price of a human life. It’s a message that obviously must be repeated again and again.

Bill McGee, a contributing editor to Consumer Reports and the former editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, is an FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher who worked in airline operations and management for several years. Tell him what you think of his latest column by sending him an email at travel@usatoday.com. Include your name, hometown and daytime phone number, and he may use your feedback in a future column.