Re: Errr..clarification
eg if the air pressure had widened the tear and the loss rate gone beyond the capabilities of the system, the aircraft could have depressurised mid Atlantic.
If the loss had been large, the onboard oxygen system would have deployed automatically. The passengers would be on O2 as the aircraft made an emergency landing.
There was an incident a few years back involving a leaking door seal leading to hypoxia (and unconsciousness) in crew and passengers. I can't remember the details; I think it might have been a private jet.
The bigger problem is mechanical failure. If the pressure vessel lets go rapidly, it might damage something around the tailplane. This happened to Japan Airlines Flight 123, which lost its vertical stabiliser when the bulkhead blew out.
Vic.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
