Southwest Airlines accident

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  • Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Terrible accident overnight

    Southwest Airlines jet engine ‘explosion’ leaves woman dead

    “The Boeing 737-700 had been en route from New York’s La Guardia airport to Dallas, Texas, with 143 passengers and five crew when the incident happened on Tuesday morning.
    Witnesses say an engine on the plane’s left side blew, smashing a window and causing cabin depressurisation that nearly sucked a woman out of the aircraft.
    She was pulled back in by other passengers.”


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    Horrible accident, some catastrophic failure in the engine, that was not contained and lead to the death of the lady 🙁 RIP.

    There also seems to have been an explosive decompression, resulting in the higher cabin pressure seeking to balance with the lower pressure in the external environment, resulting in the rapid rushing out of air (the passenger was being pushed out, not sucked out).

    The pictures also showed some damage to the leading edge high lift devices, but fortunately the aircraft was still controllable and the emergency diversion successful.

    Southwest had a serious engine incident a few years ago and there will be a full investigation/report on this one, which will determine whether there are any similarities and what action is required.


    Gold-2K
    Participant

    If the unfortunate lady who was almost pushed out of the aircraft had been wearing a seatbelt, would she have at least stayed in her seat? Or could the pressure be so great that she could slip out of the seatbelt? Often wondered if the seatbelt could withstand such forces.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=863041]If the unfortunate lady who was almost pushed out of the aircraft had been wearing a seatbelt, would she have at least stayed in her seat? Or could the pressure be so great that she could slip out of the seatbelt? Often wondered if the seatbelt could withstand such forces.[/quote]

    According to reports I read, she was wearing her seat belt.

    If you remember the incident BA had with a BAC 1-11 that lost a windshield panel, Capt Lancaster was nearly pushed all the way out, despite wearing a lap belt. Once his upper body was out, he was nearly removed completely, by the slipstream, but that is another matter.

    Speaking from experience flying light aircraft, a laps belt offers nothing like as much security in comparison to a proper 4 way harness and is not intended to, since it is fit for purpose in restraining pax in normal operations.


    canucklad
    Participant

    Hi Gold 2K – I’m going to expand on FDOS’s excellent last point
    The aircraft seatbelt is a bit of misunderstood piece of equipment and as such is generally ineffective as a genuine safety feature.

    It should be renamed a lap belt rather than a seatbelt – Its flawed design is primarily meant to protect you from vertical movement, not horizontal movement. It’s protected more people from serious harm during CAT events then collisions or sudden impact events.

    I’d argue that its primary function during take-off and landing is to reassure and more importantly as an instruction to stop movement around the cabin during these critical parts of the flight.

    And sadly and tragically couldn’t help Jennifer Riordan. May she rest in peace, and her family find their own peace at this time.


    EU_Flyer
    Participant

    +1 to all your comments above and what a terrible tragdy for Jennifer Riordan and her family. I just hope she didn’t suffer.

    It has freaked me out a little, though, with what actually happened. Exploding engine, breaking window and decompression. It could have ended much worse but I guess my (false) sense of security while sitting at a window seat has slighty diminished- especially in relation to debris penetrating the skin like that.

    Safe travels to all.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    “Sichuan Airlines pilot was “sucked halfway” out of window, captain says” – http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-airplane/sichuan-airlines-pilot-was-sucked-halfway-out-of-window-captain-says-idUKKCN1IG09W

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