For many of us, air travel is very stressful, although emergencies rarely occur. That being said, there are some people who can find a way out of any situation: for example, this man who fixed the broken window on the plane next to him with clear duct tape.
We know that there are other serious cases related to aircraft window failure, so we decided to find out what could happen if a window exploded during a flight.
This Has Happened Before
There have been several stories related to broken airplane windows, here are some of them:
In 1990, during British Airways Flight 5390, one of the windshield panels cracked and the captain of the plane was nearly sucked out of the cockpit. Fortunately, a flight attendant caught the pilot at the last second and held him until the plane landed, so he survived.
A similar incident occurred in the middle of an Airbus A319 flight in 2018 when a windshield exploded. Fortunately, the plane’s co-pilot was wearing a seatbelt, so he only partially exited the plane and was not seriously injured.
What Is Going On Onboard
In this situation, first of all, you would hear a very loud noise due to depressurization. Basically, the air pressure inside the cabin is higher than outside the plane to allow the people on board to breathe normally.
So if a window were to break, the air inside would escape at high speed, taking with it small objects like phones or magazines (or sometimes bigger things like people).
Other effects of depressurization include a decrease in temperature and air pressure (accompanied by a “clicking” of the ears) and mist or fog from condensation inside the plane.
In Case This Happens To You
As in many emergency situations, the most important rule of thumb is not to panic. Also, it is best to keep your seat belt on whenever you are seated. Once the oxygen masks fall off, put one on and help your child or others around you.
The crew will initiate the emergency landing and the descent will be rapid to minimize the risks for the passengers. Once the aircraft is at a safe altitude, you can remove the mask.
Planes Are Safe Still
Air travel is one of the safest ways to get around, and it just gets safer. Also, when an emergency situation like depressurization occurs, windows are rarely the reason – this only occurs in 2.7% of all pressurization failure events.
They have multiple layers made of acrylic or acrylic plastic, which are durable and have a small hole (it is there to prevent condensation).
How often do you travel by plane?
