If a bomb went off in a plane, would you know about it?
Discussion
Ok so about to go on holiday by plane for the second time in my life, last time to Italy, this time to Cyprus.
Anyway, really not keen on the flying bit, at all.
So I've been examining my fears in a bid to rationalise them, and my biggest (and I know this sounds daft) is finding myself outside the aircraft at 38,000ft.
For example, if a bomb went off or if a wing fell off or something, and the plane disintegrated around you, as I presume it would, and assuming you weren't killed in the blast (unlikely as I guess it'd likely be a fairly small bomb relying on damage to the plane causing the destruction) how long would you survive and be concious? Would you find yourself tumbling out of the sky? Or would sudden exposure to minus 70 degrees at 500mph knock you out or kill you instantly or something?
Bizarre as it sounds, being killed instantly if a plane disintegrated doesn't feel so bad, as you'd not know about it obviously.
But falling from a long way up strapped to a broken chair surrounded by bits of aircraft and debris and people, not good...
Anyway, really not keen on the flying bit, at all.
So I've been examining my fears in a bid to rationalise them, and my biggest (and I know this sounds daft) is finding myself outside the aircraft at 38,000ft.
For example, if a bomb went off or if a wing fell off or something, and the plane disintegrated around you, as I presume it would, and assuming you weren't killed in the blast (unlikely as I guess it'd likely be a fairly small bomb relying on damage to the plane causing the destruction) how long would you survive and be concious? Would you find yourself tumbling out of the sky? Or would sudden exposure to minus 70 degrees at 500mph knock you out or kill you instantly or something?
Bizarre as it sounds, being killed instantly if a plane disintegrated doesn't feel so bad, as you'd not know about it obviously.
But falling from a long way up strapped to a broken chair surrounded by bits of aircraft and debris and people, not good...
I'm sure there's been several plane incidents where people have had time to write messages as the plane head groundward, and I'm sure I can recall incident reports where the forensics have shown that many on board would have been conscious after the blow out and all the way to ground.
Happy to help
My personal take on flying is quite fatalistic. I don't worry about it. If it happens there's f
k all you could do about it, so just enjoy the ride (or tumble from the sky towards solid ground )
Happy to help
My personal take on flying is quite fatalistic. I don't worry about it. If it happens there's f
k all you could do about it, so just enjoy the ride (or tumble from the sky towards solid ground )Condi said:
10 people died on our roads today, does that put you off driving?
Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
Absolutely agree, I know that. Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
I suppose that one has the illusion of control when driving, if something goes wrong I have an influence. I appreciate it's an illusion, if a truck comes across the road into you you've no way out. But more than that, if/when you get out of the wreckage, well you're stodd/lying on the ground.
It's being, up there, if it all went wrong. No way out, only one way down...
Nic jones said:
Didn't they find people in varying states of 'aliveness' (can't think of the right word) after the Lockerbie bombing?
It's a scary thought but the odds are so so slim of anything untoward happening that it's really not worth worrying about.
But were they concious? Did they know what was happening on the way down..?It's a scary thought but the odds are so so slim of anything untoward happening that it's really not worth worrying about.
When the Pan Am flight was bombed over lockerbie the plane didn't so much discintegrate as break up (into three pieces if I remember rightly). The majority of the fuselage remained intact until impact and a lot of people were found clutching crucifixes and other things that suggested that they were conscious upon hitting the ground. One person was even reported to have survived the fall but died shortly after being found.
It's probable that at very high altitude you would pass out due to the lack of oxygen / extreme low pressures but you may regain consciousness as the atmosphere and oxygen thickens on your way down so you may get to consider your life in its last few seconds.
Of course the worst thing that's likely is to happen is your flight is delayed! - enjoy it, I love flying. The more turbulence the better!
It's probable that at very high altitude you would pass out due to the lack of oxygen / extreme low pressures but you may regain consciousness as the atmosphere and oxygen thickens on your way down so you may get to consider your life in its last few seconds.
Of course the worst thing that's likely is to happen is your flight is delayed! - enjoy it, I love flying. The more turbulence the better!
flakeypaul said:
When the Pan Am flight was bombed over lockerbie the plane didn't so much discintegrate as break up (into three pieces if I remember rightly). The majority of the fuselage remained intact until impact and a lot of people were found clutching crucifixes and other things that suggested that they were conscious upon hitting the ground. One person was even reported to have survived the fall but died shortly after being found.
It's probable that at very high altitude you would pass out due to the lack of oxygen / extreme low pressures but you may regain consciousness as the atmosphere and oxygen thickens on your way down so you may get to consider your life in its last few seconds.
Of course the worst thing that's likely is to happen is your flight is delayed! - enjoy it, I love flying. The more turbulence the better!
My problem is that my mind always considers "worst case". It's probable that at very high altitude you would pass out due to the lack of oxygen / extreme low pressures but you may regain consciousness as the atmosphere and oxygen thickens on your way down so you may get to consider your life in its last few seconds.
Of course the worst thing that's likely is to happen is your flight is delayed! - enjoy it, I love flying. The more turbulence the better!
If I'm out in a boat, what if the engine stops now, or it catches fire or starts taking on water? If I'm driving, what if a wheel came off?
If I'm flying...
Allaloneatron said:
35,000 feet isn't the problem. Most crashes happen at take off and landing. You will know all about that.
Enjoy your flight!!
That has to be the worst possible reply to a guy asking for reassurance ever! I feel incredibly bad for laughing at it!Enjoy your flight!!
The trouble is nobody has really ever been around to ask whether they were killed instantly or whether it was the impact with the ground that did it, but the earlier posts are right. Believe it or not there are far more dangerous modes of transportation. It is highly unlikely you will get killed in a plane, try to think about how many people fly everyday across the globe. How many people do you know have flown by plane? How many people do you know who have died in plane?
You'll be fine, but just so you know - the brace position is designed to snap your neck on impact, so if you hear "Brace" being called, it's time to discover you're religious...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KhZwsYtNDE
^^
about as serious as it ever gets and all sorted out within ten minutes...
^^
about as serious as it ever gets and all sorted out within ten minutes...
Condi said:
10 people died on our roads today, does that put you off driving?
Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
Actually on a per journey basis, flying is considerably more dangerous than going by car.Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_safety
Ari said:
Piersman2 said:
Allaloneatron said:
35,000 feet isn't the problem.
No indeed, it's the pancaking into the ground with a seat strapped to you at 100mph+ that's the problem. Until, you notice that the ground is coming at you at an alarming rate. I suppose you'd then be wondering what you were going to land on, praying for something soft. Didn't some air stewardess survive falling out of plane years ago becuae she landed on pine trees then boggy ground. Still broke everybone in her body, but she did survive?
More likely to land as "pre-jam" on concrete mind. Even water at those speeds is like rock.
H18 ENF said:
It is highly unlikely you will get killed in a plane, try to think about how many people fly everyday across the globe. How many people do you know have flown by plane? How many people do you know who have died in plane?
.
That's good advice and pretty much what I try to do. When we were on holiday in London earlier this year (like holidays in London, well within driving range) I was watching the continuous stream of aircraft coming in to Heathrow and thinking "that's happening the world over, every minute of every day"..
But still my mind asks... What if?
I'll tell you what, if they offered a aesthetic service where they put you out before taking you on board and brought you round afterward (kind of polite BA Barrakas stylie) I wouldn't worry. It's not the crashing that bothers me, it's the knowing about it...
dom180 said:
Condi said:
10 people died on our roads today, does that put you off driving?
Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
Actually on a per journey basis, flying is considerably more dangerous than going by car.Daft as it seems, flying is one of the safest forms of transport. The aircraft goes through more checks, services and reports in a month than your car will in its life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_safety
I used to work at a national air carrier, and the IT director there decided to throw himself off the 9th floor of the company carpark.
I often wondered what he was thinking on his way down.
Would've taken a few seconds to hit ground I guess.
I wonder if he was thinking about the disruption he was gonna cause to people trying to get to the canteen passed where he landed, or the fact that I was inconvenienced getting to my motorbike in the carpark next to where his dead body was still lying 5 hours later.
I bet he wasn't the selfish bd
I often wondered what he was thinking on his way down.
Would've taken a few seconds to hit ground I guess.
I wonder if he was thinking about the disruption he was gonna cause to people trying to get to the canteen passed where he landed, or the fact that I was inconvenienced getting to my motorbike in the carpark next to where his dead body was still lying 5 hours later.
I bet he wasn't the selfish b
d dom180 said:
Actually on a per journey basis, flying is considerably more dangerous than going by car.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_safety
Of course though, the average plane journey is significantly longer than the average car journey, in time and distance.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_safety
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