Thread: Flight 370

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

The classic case of explosive decompression was back in the 50s or 60s when passenger jets first came out. Dehavilland made the Comet and they started coming apart in mid air and the wreckage was so total there was nothing to look at. It was only after most of the fleet had self destructed the found they cause. The plane boasted big square picture windows and from take-off and landing cycles the frame began to tear at those big windows and then one day the whole thing blew out.

I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure they found out what caused the comet to die by running hundreds of static pressure checks on one. They were still flying right up until the one they were checking failed at the stress point of the window just as you stated. Also the resources and knowledge of how to reconstruct the aircraft in the days of the comet was, just like jet airliners, in its infancy. They didn't know how to figure out what they were seeing.

I find it EXTREEMLY unlikely that the 777 had this type of explosive decompression. They just don't have these kinds of issues. The plane has a spectacular safety record. Also even with an explosive decompression the transponder would keep functioning because the planes don't just disintegrate like the comet did. Too many have gone down to prove that one a la TWA 800. That one had a center fuel tank EXPLODE and it didn't completely disintegrate.

There was an instance of a windshield being blown off the front of a jet and that didn't cause this type of problem. I personally knew a guy who had a door blow off of a pressurized airplane in flight. He landed it safely. I never heard of the door being blown off of Payne Stewarts plane...

Don't jump to conclusions guys. There is a whole lot we don't know.

This all from a professional pilot. Just my $0.02.