Glenn Ashmore wrote:

Mark wrote:


Gunner wrote:




Hummmm so how do you explain Aloha Airlines 737 loosing 20 odd feet of
its roof at Angels 24 and still making it back to land safely?

http://www.msnbc.com/onair/nbc/night.../accidents.asp



Your point?

Just because there is decompression doesn't mean the aircraft will auger.

Also, the aircraft was at 24,000 feet. Go up another 10,000 to 16,000
feet and I'm sure the result would have been different.

Not really. There is only about 2 PSI difference between 24,000' and
45,000'.

The pressure drop as you go higher is not even. From sea level to
10,000' the pressure drops 1/3. From 10,000 to 20,000' it drops another
1/4. From 20,000 to 30,000 it drops 1/6 and from 30,000 to 50,000 it
only drops another 1/6.

Also as the density goes down the Bernulli effect goes down with it.
The actual dynamic pressure differential and wind resistance that do the
damage are probably higher at 24,000' given the same air speed.

As long as the aircraft can maintain enough structural integrity and the
control surfaces are still operating there is no direct reason that the
plane could not continue to fly. Of course, those passengers whose
emergency oxygen masks went with the roof would probably die of hypoxia
before the pilot could get low enough for them to breath.

For a pretty good table on the atmospheric pressure gradient see:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wstdatmo.htm#us

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com


The control mechanism on the DC-10 runs under the cabin floor.
When a poorly closed cargo door failed in flight, the cabin pressure
deformed the floor enough to jam the flight controls.

Aircraft, even million pound jets, are terribly fragile things.


Richard Lamb
http://home.flash.net/~lamb01