If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Catastophic depressurization in a commercial airliner
We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes
the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is
at the cruising altitude. it would hiss until someone puts a inflight magazine to a good use and puts it over the hole. Only if they managed to take out a window would there be a large loss of cabin pressure,and then only until something like a briefcase can be put over the opening. Matt Gunsch, A&P,IA,Private Pilot Riding member of the 2003 world champion drill team Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team GWRRA,NRA,GOA |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in message om... We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. A bullet hole is nothing. The cabin pressurization systems can handle it. I had the bottom of a rear door seal (about two feet of seal) fail once, and all it did was hiss until we threw a bunch of wet paper towels in the hole. And if you lose a window, sure you'll get everything loose like paper and small items blowing around, but a regular sized person isn't going to get sucked out. Might seal up the hole pretty efficiently though. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Not much.
The hissing noise would be irksome, though. Even if it took out a window- and a large window at that- there wold be an initial puff of wind, then a howling noise. Oh yeah, all the passengers would begin screaming as they got tangled up in their oxygen masks/lines. The big problem would be if the bullet hit something important, like the beverage cart . . . Steve Swartz wrote in message om... We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in message om... We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. The subject of your query puzzles me as this is a military aviation forum but will attempt an answer for you. If it hits nothing vital (electrical, hydraulic, etc) the answer is...pretty much nothing. Tex |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in message om... We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. Not much unless a window was taken out and even then while pillows , papers and magazines would be thrown about people wouldnt be. The extreme case is the Aloha airlines 737 which last about 20 ft of cabin and managed a safe landing, although some people were killed on that one. Keith |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
"Ragnar" wrote in message ...
wrote in message om... We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. A bullet hole is nothing. The cabin pressurization systems can handle it. I had the bottom of a rear door seal (about two feet of seal) fail once, and all it did was hiss until we threw a bunch of wet paper towels in the hole. And if you lose a window, sure you'll get everything loose like paper and small items blowing around, but a regular sized person isn't going to get sucked out. Might seal up the hole pretty efficiently though. I believe you are generally correct, but there have been exceptions. ISTR the loss of a USAF crewmember on a C-130, the one engaged by Peruvian aircraft in during a counterdrug mission, for example? Subject to correction from anyone who knows what happened, I seem to remember that a crewmember was sucked out of a rather small opening--I have not found much about it, other than mention that the attack did occur in April 1992. On the civil side, passengers have been lost when they departed (in more ways than one) through not-that-much larger fuselage openings created due to turbine failures. Brooks |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
And if you lose a window, sure you'll get everything loose like paper and
small items blowing around, but a regular sized person isn't going to get sucked out. Might seal up the hole pretty efficiently though. There's a Russian movie, where exactly that happened. It's a comedy. However, the gaping hole will not occur? |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
wrote...
We all have seen the movies were one pistol shot or what not causes the side of an airliner explode sucking the people, seats, etc. into the void. What would happen in the reality? Let's assume the plane is at the cruising altitude. Let's further assume the bullet goes through the aluminum skin. It would result in a hole about 1/2" in diameter and probably a loud whistling of escaping air. The outflow valves that control pressurization would close slightly to compensate for the air loss. You're left with the noise, exacerbated by screaming/panicking passengers. Put a pillow over the hole to stop the whistling; that may stop the screaming. Worse case would be a window. The bullet might cause the entire window to fail. Since the window is similar in size to the outflow valves, the cabin pressure would probably begin to decrease slowly as the air rushes out. Unrestrained objects may be sucked out. A dinner tray or piece of a serving cart could be used to block the hole, if it could be maneuvered into place. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Best Option for Private Pilot to Multi Commercial Instrument Ratings | Hudson Valley Amusement | Instrument Flight Rules | 34 | December 17th 04 09:25 PM |
Another Addition to the Rec.Aviation Rogue's Gallery! | Jay Honeck | Home Built | 125 | February 1st 04 05:57 AM |