Why didn't the plane crash despite its cockpit having a big hole?
In one scene of Airport 75 (1974), the stewardess tries calling the tower, but you can see there is a big hole by the copilot seat.
But the plane finally landed very safely.
Why didn't the plane crash even though its cockpit had a big hole?
Best Answer
This might be a better fit over at Aviation..but the answer is... "it's the movies".
Also, depending on the altitude as long as they can breathe (as indicated by the lack of oxygen mask) and the plane is still capable, it can fly...not very well but it can still fly.
In the case of Airport 75, the smaller aircraft only impacted right above the co-pilot seat. It didn't damage any required surfaces/engines so that the aircraft couldn't fly, it was just that there was no-one left on board who could pilot it.
As for the damage, aircraft have suffered much worse and still made safe landings.
A classic example is Aloha Airlines 243
Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (AQ 243, AAH 243) was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, but was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui. There was one fatality, flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, who was ejected from the airplane. Another 65 passengers and crew were injured.
The safe landing of the aircraft despite the substantial damage inflicted by the decompression established Aloha Airlines Flight 243 as a significant event in the history of aviation, with far-reaching effects on aviation safety policies and procedures.
Pictures about "Why didn't the plane crash despite its cockpit having a big hole?"
Has a plane ever crashed from turbulence?
Can turbulence crash an airplane? NO. Although in its worst form, turbulence may scare passengers to the point where they start praying to the Almighty, asking for mercy for their sins, it's very, very rare for turbulence to be powerful enough to actually bring a plane down.Did a plane lose its roof?
The cockpit door had broken away and the captain could see "blue sky where the first-class ceiling had been." The resulting explosive decompression had torn off a large section of the roof, consisting of the entire top half of the aircraft skin extending from just behind the cockpit to the fore-wing area, a length of ...Is the crash in flight realistic?
The accident in the film was inspired by a real-life disaster, the crash of Alaska Airlines 261 on January 31, 2000. Some dialogue in the film closely resembles the CVR transcript. Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight.Can pilots leave the cockpit during flight?
Under the guidance of the Federal Aviation Regulations, there always has to be at least one pilot in the cockpit and at the controls at all times. Even if the plane is flying on autopilot. The other pilot(s) can potentially leave the cockpit, but it can't be left unattended even if autopilot is on.Why Didn't You Stop Me?
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Images: Matheus Bertelli, Lindeboom Jean-Bapt, Marina Hinic, Pixabay