A U.S.-bound plane took off from London last month with four damaged window panes, including two that were completely missing, according to U.K. air accident investigators.
No one was injured by the window malfunctions, which appear to have been caused by high-power lights used in a film shoot, the U.K.’s Air Accident Investigation Branch reported in a special bulletin published Nov. 4.
Well that’s terrifying
Not really. Most planes leak quite a bit anyway- they’re constantly running air compressors to keep it at about the equivalent pressure of 6,000-8,000 feet.
At that point, it was merely mildly concerning. If the window had blown out mid-Atlantic that would have been terrifying- flying low enough to maintain pressure would expend too much fuel, etc. but they were only 10-15 minutes into the flight; so, no big deal.
Also? At 20kft, yiu have about 30 minutes before you pass out. (Airlines typically have 10-15 minutes oxygen reserves, for a fully packed aircraft, more than enough time to dive down to breathable pressures. Even from the normal cruising altitudes of 30-40k ft)
I’m surprised there wasn’t a flashy warning thing, though. At 14k-ish pressure altitude… the oxy masks should have dropped automatically
I would comfortably say that I would be at least slightly terrified if I were on that plane, regardless of how ultimately justified it would be. Nobody wants to hear that there is a problem or needing to turn back after takeoff.
I meant more that it was a surprise to the crew that two windows were missing. I’d expect something so obvious to show up on a pre flight check
I think it’s more shocking that the flight attendants didn’t notice.
Based on the 321 size and regulations in the route, it should have had a minimum of 2. Usually, that would mean one in the front and one in the back galley. Even flying mostly empty, they would usually be fully staffed at 4.
How did they not hear the noise? They should know exactly how loud that plane should be.
Besides, windows.that somehow reflect differently than their neighbors should have been spotted with the walk around
That’s a whole other good point.