Woman partially sucked out of jet

[kenny]

Wow.
Engine explodes mid-flight on Southwest flight.
Cabin violently looses pressure.
One window was sucked out.
Reportedly a woman was partially sucked out through window till other passengers pull her back in.

The Guardian is reporting a death; maybe it was her.

"One person dies after engine explodes on Southwest flight near Philadelphia"

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...ncy-southwest-landing-engine-explosion-latest

One passenger posts, “Confusion turned to panic,” he said. “We spent 15 minutes saying our goodbyes.”

 

[AGBF]

Someone died on the flight. Do you know if it was she? I just saw the head of the NTSB interviewed and I was so saddened to learn that there had been a fatality. I was so glad to learn that the other passengers had managed to save this woman from being sucked out of the plane. I hope she did not perish after all that. However, I do not wish death on anyone else, of course. This accident is unbelievably sad and awful.

 

[Bonfire]

Yikes! Never sit in the turbine disintegration plane. That’s where the shrapnel goes. If a turbine blade goes through the core of the engine, it disintegrates catastrophically sending shrapnel everywhere. How scary for those passengers. Sorry someone perished. DH has over 35 years in this aircraft type and has pretty much seen it all.

 

[doberman]

Seriously scary as hell. But you have a far greater chance of injury just driving your car down the road.

 

[kenny]

Don't people listen to those safety briefings before flights take off?

What are these Einsteins doing wrong?


Glad they weren't flying with kids.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Seriously awful. Healing vibes to the passengers and crew--they'll never be the same!

Sharon

 

[CJ2008]

OMG this is so scary and sad.

 

[kenny]

Yikes! Never sit in the turbine disintegration plane. That’s where the shrapnel goes. ...

But in this case the seat with the blown out window (and perhaps the fatality) appears to be 12 rows behind the front of the engine, where it exploded.
Notice the blown out window is the third window from the right side in the pic below.

Perhaps a jet flying over 500 MPH results in even heavy shrapnel being blown back by the 500 MPH wind.
If so, sitting in front of the engines may a tiny bit safer if one wished to avoid sitting in the "turbine disintegration plane".

 

[KaeKae]

I just saw this on the local news. How awful.

 

[Bonfire]

But in this case the seat with the blown out window (and perhaps the fatality) was far behind the engine.
Notice the blown out window is the third window from the right side in the pic below.

Perhaps a jet flying over 500 MPH results in even heavy shrapnel being blown back by the 500 MPH wind.
If so, sitting in front of the engines may a tiny bit safer if one wished to avoid sitting in the "turbine disintegration plane".

The turbine disintegration plane covers a large area. It’s an explosion that sends shrapnel outward beyond a row or two. Forward motion extends the damage farther aft. as the photo shows. Now you have a rapid decomposition along with a failed engine. Emergency descent and a single engine approach and landing. Crew did a good job!

 

[Bonfire]

The turbine disintegration plane covers a large area. It’s an explosion that sends shrapnel outward beyond a row or two. Forward motion extends the damage farther aft. as the photo shows. Now you have a rapid decomposition along with a failed engine. Emergency descent and a single engine approach and landing. Crew did a good job!

ETA: meant to say rapid decompression

 

[whitewave]

I think it was the woman who was partially sucked out who died. So sad!!

 

[PintoBean]

Someone died on the flight. Do you know if it was she? I just saw the head of the NTSB interviewed and I was so saddened to learn that there had been a fatality. I was so glad to learn that the other passengers had managed to save this woman from being sucked out of the plane. I hope she did not perish after all that. However, I do not wish death on anyone else, of course. This accident is unbelievably sad and awful.

Yup it was the poor woman. If there IS a positive side she did not suffer.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnew...rgency-landing-philadelphia/story?id=54530003

 

[arkieb1]

If so, sitting in front of the engines may a tiny bit safer if one wished to avoid sitting in the "turbine disintegration plane".

Yes but if you sit directly in front of an engine, if one of those suckers catches on fire (and they have before) then that's the hot spot where you will get cooked to death, or inhale the most smoke. So near an engine (in front or behind) isn't the safest part of the plane to sit in. Google safest part of aircraft to sit in. All crashes are different but at this current point in time I believe looking at the averages of who survived all aircraft crashes/flights and where they were seated, up the back in the centre area is the safest area to survive a crash.

 

[lyra]

What a horrible coincidence. Things like this haunt me. Poor woman.

 

[tuckie]

This is my nightmare as a 2x per week flier.
It's also being reported that the pilot of this plane is a woman, a navy veteran and navy fighter jet pilot, and is credited with a quick reaction and safe landing that prevented further injuries to the passengers. Amazing.

 

[Bonfire]

They did a great job. They are well trained in these situations. They go through recurrent training annually and are put through all sorts of emergency scenarios in the simulator. This was such a horrible tragedy that could have been much worse. I read that she came through the cabin after landing to check on the passengers. I really love that. Prayers go out to all those terrified passengers!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Of course this is the airline I'm flying AND the departing airport for my trip to the PS GTG, it's def. in the back of my mind! I really can't imagine what it's like for the woman's family and every other person who survived that flight. Hats off tho the pilot and crew, my cousin right now is a Navy Pilot who flies jets and a potential future commercial pilot, the Navy training is amazing.

I hope they do a better/more thorough check of the engines going forward!

 

[arkieb1]

I don't think this exact thing has ever occurred to that model of aircraft before in the past, so it's a freak accident and luck and pilot skill that more people were not killed or hurt.

 

[OoohShiny]

One question that came to my mind was to wonder if the woman who was killed was wearing her seatbelt.

I can imagine that depressurising an entire plane through just a 12"x9" window is going to involve some serious air velocity, so it could have been that the window was right next to her and she had no way to avoid the situation, with or without a seatbelt being worn. Some plane seats are very close to the windows!

 

[Bonfire]

I don't think this exact thing has ever occurred to that model of aircraft before in the past, so it's a freak accident and luck and pilot skill that more people were not killed or hurt.

Actually yes. Another one of Southwest’s B-737 made an emergency landing in Pensacola Fl after an engine broke apart and damaged the fuselage, wing and tail. That was in 2016. It’s not just B-737 that this happens to. MD-80s had several of these engine issues. Any engine suffers from metal fatigue that is not always apparent on inspection. They do go through thorough inspections routinely. Engine failure of any kind is a common thing and pilots have A LOT of training in this situation. Don’t worry @Asscherhalo_lover you are much safer flying. When these tragedies occur they are terrible, but given the safty record of our domestic carriers and the number of flights operated daily, you are very safe! You are more likely to die driving to the grocery store at the hands of some fool texting and driving.

 

[elizabethess]

Don't people listen to those safety briefings before flights take off?

What are these Einsteins doing wrong?

Seriously folks? Seriously?!! Get yer freaking snoots in that oxygen mask!

 

[Calliecake]

What a horrible coincidence. Things like this haunt me. Poor woman.

I feel for everyone on that plane. The woman who died was a woman in her early forties with 2 children. I was glad the they were able to get the woman’s back in the plane. Her poor family.

 

[bright ice]

That had to be so terrifying for everyone, sad that one perished.

 

[LightBright]

Yup it was the poor woman. If there IS a positive side she did not suffer.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/plane-makes-emergency-landing-philadelphia/story?id=54530003

It’s remarkable how brave people are. Not just the pilot but average people were standing in front of the windows, performing CPR, helping pull the passenger back in. So many unsung heroes here.

 

[arkieb1]

Actually yes. Another one of Southwest’s B-737 made an emergency landing in Pensacola Fl after an engine broke apart and damaged the fuselage, wing and tail. That was in 2016. It’s not just B-737 that this happens to. MD-80s had several of these engine issues. Any engine suffers from metal fatigue that is not always apparent on inspection. They do go through thorough inspections routinely. Engine failure of any kind is a common thing and pilots have A LOT of training in this situation. Don’t worry @Asscherhalo_lover you are much safer flying. When these tragedies occur they are terrible, but given the safty record of our domestic carriers and the number of flights operated daily, you are very safe! You are more likely to die driving to the grocery store at the hands of some fool texting and driving.

Yes, I'm aware engines suffer wear and tear and there are many examples where they have broken apart and they fatigue and things fly off them, things like bird strikes cause damage, bad maintenance etc - I mean specifically I don't know of another incident with that type of aircraft where a piece of the engine hit a window and a passenger got sucked out as it depressurised, do you? That is the part that seems totally random to me.

 

[Bonfire]

Well since you asked @arkieb1 Aloha Airlines in 1988 had a explosive decompression on a B-737. They lost a large part of the fuselage and a flight attendant was ejected. Many passengers were injured. They were able to land safely despite the substantial damage. At least a third of the aircraft’s top was gone! Strange similarity. Whether it’s a window blown or fuselage skin ripped, the individual was sucked out and perished. At least in this latest incident they were able to pull her back in. Sad outcome however.

 

[kenny]

Oh come on; that wasn't that bad.

 

[arkieb1]

Well since you asked @arkieb1 Aloha Airlines in 1988 had a explosive decompression on a B-737. They lost a large part of the fuselage and a flight attendant was ejected. Many passengers were injured. They were able to land safely despite the substantial damage. At least a third of the aircraft’s top was gone! Strange similarity. Whether it’s a window blown or fuselage skin ripped, the individual was sucked out and perished. At least in this latest incident they were able to pull her back in. Sad outcome however.

Yes I know of other decompression incidents that rip out sections of planes, I'm talking about just one window like this. I have no idea why but I find that more randomly selective than a section of a plane being ripped apart as is common for a variety of reasons in many aircraft disasters.

 

[lovedogs]

ugh I am terrified of planes. I hate this type of stuff.