A recent research study concluded that 1 in every 60 passengers who climb aboard a regional airliner will strike his head on the cabin entryway, while 1 in every 141 will sustain some sort of head injury when he does. Regional airliner doorways are typically much shorter than those employed on larger transport-category aircraft.

Bethesda, Md.-based JDA Aviation Technology Solutions released the results of its study last month after nearly a year of research conducted in cooperation with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and more than 1,000 regional airline members of the Association of Flight Attendants. The research further showed that 98 percent of the flight attendants surveyed had witnessed passengers hitting their heads on entryway doors, while 43 percent witnessed passengers being injured significantly enough to cause a cut, bleeding or a bruise.

Three quarters of the flight attendants surveyed believed there is a safety concern with the resulting head injuries, while 72 percent believe some type of removable safety cushion safety device would reduce or eliminate the number of head injuries.