An Emirates plane carrying 184 people lost cabin pressure yesterday and had to turn back to Dubai.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon during the flight from Dubai to Kolkata, India.
An Emirates spokesperson told the Associated Press the airline is investigating the incident and "taking all steps to minimise any inconvenience to its passengers".
No one was hurt and passengers were put on a replacement flight on a different aircraft later in the day.
KDTWflyer From United States of America, joined Jun 2004, 807 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 4 days ago) and read 22105 times:
A multitude of causes can lead to an in-flight depressurization from the very remote (in-flight meteor strikes) to the more common (metal-fatigue failures etc. ) so who knows at this point.
Tomescu From United States of America, joined Jul 2011, 2 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 20770 times:
A multitude of causes can lead to an in-flight depressurization from the very remote (in-flight meteor strikes) to the more common (metal-fatigue failures etc. ) so who knows at this point.
We had the flight deck Air-Con turbine pack up the other day... Not good hearing something that spins at 80 000rpm start making metallic noises.
Stabilator From United States of America, joined Nov 2010, 487 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 16023 times:
When that piece of space junk was forecast to fall out of the sky, there was a special NOTAM warning of falling space debris. Heard it every time I called for my weather briefing until it came down."Pilots are urged to report any falling space debris and remain well clear" or something like that haha.
So we beat on against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
sw733 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 6072 posts, RR: 10 Reply 10, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 15919 times:
Quoting Stabilator (Reply 9): When that piece of space junk was forecast to fall out of the sky, there was a special NOTAM warning of falling space debris. Heard it every time I called for my weather briefing until it came down."Pilots are urged to report any falling space debris and remain well clear" or something like that haha.
Big difference, though. Natural space materials fall on to the earth many times each day.
redflyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4181 posts, RR: 30 Reply 11, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 15854 times:
Quoting ABpositive (Reply 4): Or even more common worn out seals on doors.
Or even more common: a rupture or leak in the plumbing associated with the pressurization system.
vgnatl747 From United States of America, joined Apr 2001, 1492 posts, RR: 2 Reply 12, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 15504 times:
Quoting Stabilator (Reply 9): "Pilots are urged to report any falling space debris and remain well clear" or something like that haha.
Like that's something to easily avoid when you're traveling along at 500mph and something is falling from space at terminal velocity.
RoseFlyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 8755 posts, RR: 52 Reply 14, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 14855 times:
I can't open the article, but the majority of cases involving the airplane not being able to maintain pressurization are caused by failed PACs (DXB-CCU is not ETOPS, so they can dispatch with an INOP PAC), failed seals, or a form of cabin breach (most common is damage due to ground loading causing a small rupture or dent and as the airplane pressurizes it opens further and not a meteor!).
Not sure what happened, but I'd be curious if it was a rapid decompression or a slow decompression. Most airplanes will maintain adequate cabin pressure for 4-5 minutes after a failure of the pressurization system, so that masks are not needed.
If you have never designed an airplane part before, let the real designers do the work!
SEA From United States of America, joined Jul 2011, 215 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 14709 times:
YULWinterSkies From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 2111 posts, RR: 6 Reply 16, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 13456 times:
Quoting Tomescu (Reply 6): I highly doubt it that anything falling from the orbit, like satellite debris, would ever hit an aircraft in mid-air.
It is extremely unlikely, but if they cross paths, impact will happen, like for any two objects in movement.
Quoting TravellerPlus (Reply 5): Needless to say, a meteor would cause more than a loss of cabin pressure...
It could be a big one able to basically perforate either a wing or the fuselage, but most meteors are going to be smaller pieces, either because the initial meteor impacting the Earth has already fragmented in multiple pieces in the upper atmosphere or has largely disintegrated by the time it reaches jet flight altitude. (most will have in fact completely disintegrated by then)
Most of these objects falling on Earth are very small and are generally unnoticed, and these probably would not fatally damage a flying airplane, perhaps gradual loss of pressure could happen it the fuselage is impacted but not perforated in full, but I'm not expert.
Antarctica is the place of choice to study meteorites, because they remain preserved in ice basically forever and are easy to find when entrapped in ice, and yes, most of them are really small (gravel size)
However, as previously stated, sealing and metal fatigue are by far most likely.
motorhussy From New Zealand, joined Mar 2000, 2760 posts, RR: 10 Reply 18, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 8489 times:
What does a sudden cabin depressurisation feel like? Would you notice it if it weren't for the popping ears and the oxy masks dropping from the ceiling?
virginson937 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2009, 67 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 6760 times:
Quoting RoseFlyer (Reply 14): Most airplanes will maintain adequate cabin pressure for 4-5 minutes after a failure of the pressurization system, so that masks are not needed.
I believe depending on the height of the aircraft, the masks drop down at an approx. cabin pressure of 14,000ft. And the time of useful conciousness is decreased as the aircraft altitude increases. What height was the aircraft at when the depressurisation occurred?
737tdi From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 466 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 5319 times:
Quoting motorhussy (Reply 18): What does a sudden cabin depressurisation feel like? Would you notice it if it weren't for the popping ears and the oxy masks dropping from the ceiling?
Regards
MH
Quoting motorhussy (Reply 18): What does a sudden cabin depressurisation feel like? Would you notice it if it weren't for the popping ears and the oxy masks dropping from the ceiling?
Regards
MH
MH: I have never experienced one in flight but have done them multiple times on the ground. Yes your ears go nuts and you can even feel it in your eyes, plus it gets pretty cold.
As a mech. a few years back we used to pressurize DC-8 freighters to about 8psi differential pressure and then manually dump the pressure (it has a "lollipop" that can be lifted to manually open the outflow valve to full open). The cabin would fog up like the worst night in London. Don't worry it doesn't hurt anything! except your ears and it is loud if you are outside the aircraft.
eta unknown From Comoros, joined Jun 2001, 2010 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 5158 times:
Quoting motorhussy (Reply 18): What does a sudden cabin depressurisation feel like? Would you notice it if it weren't for the popping ears and the oxy masks dropping from the ceiling?
When it happened to me 10+ years ago on an EK 772 (told it was an issue with the air con system freezing up) I don't recall feeling any loss of ear pressure- but I do remember an awfully high pitched whistling noise in the cabin- just when it was becoming unbearable the oxygen masks dropped ("emergency! emergency! emergency!") and we dived to 10,000 feet.
wn700driver From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 5061 times:
Quoting motorhussy (Reply 18):
What does a sudden cabin depressurisation feel like? Would you notice it if it weren't for the popping ears and the oxy masks dropping from the ceiling?
It would become very hard to hear, and the cabin would likely fog to the point that you'd have a hard time seeing the person next to as well. I imagine it would be a little disconcerting, but not outright terrifying or anything...
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