It is testimony to the inherent quality of the life raft that it still inflated properly once he found the inflation ring to pull, despite the abuse and lack of proper care. A raft is a significant investment, even the less expensive ones. Life vests should also be serviced bi-annually, at a minimum. Miller chose to use full flaps to get the Mooney as slow as possible for his water landing. While this is a good strategy for land, it is the wrong choice for a forced water landing in a low wing aircraft.
Full flaps pose two significant potential problems.
First, they might be ripped off by the impact, opening the wing to flooding and reducing the time the aircraft stays afloat. If only one is ripped off, the aircraft can spin or cartwheel. Second, if the flaps do not come off, then there is a greater tendency for the aircraft to nose down into the water, often with greater force than otherwise, possibly caving in the windshield and flooding the cabin. In Miller s case, they may also have contributed to the failure of the fuel tank, trapping water under the wing and creating greater pressure than would normally have occurred. At most, only partial flaps should be used with a low wing aircraft.