leave a sinking ship

To leave a situation in which failure is imminent. A version of the expression "like rats leaving a sinking ship," meaning with great haste and having only personal well-being in mind. The expression refers to the popular notion that rats are the first to abandon a ship when it is sinking. The CEO's sudden resignation seemed strange at the time, but now we know that he was just leaving a sinking ship, as the company has become plagued by scandal.