SWA Plane Suffers Metal Fatigue

[DWCAce]

 

 

London Calling... (BBC)

 

Passengers on board the Southwest Airlines flight described what happened

 

An airliner has made an emergency landing in the United States after a gaping hole in the roof caused a sudden drop in cabin pressure.

 

Southwest Airlines flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento put down safely at a military air base in Arizona.

 

Passengers heard a bang as the roof panel blew open in the cabin. "You can see completely outside," one woman told the Associated Press news agency.

 

It was not immediately clear what caused the fuselage to rupture.

 

An FBI spokesman said terrorism was not suspected and "it appears to be a mechanical issue".

 

'Dropped pretty quick' Passenger Brenda Reese said the Boeing 737 plane had just left Phoenix when she heard a "gunshot-like sound".

 

"It's at the top of the plane, right up above where you store your luggage," she told AP by telephone from the plane.

 

"The panel's not completely off. It's like ripped down... When you look up through the panel, you can see the sky."

 

 

She said the plane "dropped pretty quick".

 

Another woman on board said: "They had just taken drink orders when I heard a huge sound and oxygen masks came down.

 

"There was a hole in the fuselage about three feet long. You could see the insulation and the wiring. You could see a tear the length of one of the ceiling panels," the woman told a local television station.

 

Aviation officials said the pilot made a rapid, controlled descent.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board said an "in-flight fuselage rupture" led to the sudden descent and drop in cabin pressure.

 

"We do not know the cause of the decompression," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

 

Southwest Airlines said no injuries were reported among the 118 passengers on board. One flight attendant was slightly injured, the statement said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12945453

 

 

 

[DoctorQuest]

Thank God no one was seriously hurt.

 

Man, some of these planes have got to be getting OLD........

Edited April 3, 2011 by DoctorQuest

[DWCAce]

Old and LOTS of cycles!

[Gr.Viper]

Oh, those cheeky 737s and their detachable roof... How many times has this happened already?

[Toryu]

It's not a 737-issue, rather than a poor MX-issue on the side of SW:

 

They've got two popped roofs in two years and an FAA-investigation (like three years ago or so) for lax fatigue-monitoring.

[serverandenforcer]

I have a feeling that the results from the investigation will not be in SW's favor.

[FastCargo]

I'm wondering what their cycle rate is compared to other 737 users.

 

FC

[Nesher]

lucky it was over with no one getting hurt..

[DWCAce]

I'm wondering what their cycle rate is compared to other 737 users.

 

FC

 

Pretty high..when you're talking 20-30min turn times with some of their destinations being only an hour apart, I'm sure it adds up...

[TX3RN0BILL]

Talk about a 737 convertible...

 

Guess there just weren't enough window-seats around...

 

 

[Rambler 1-1]

Good thing it wasn't an Aloha Air-style 737 convertible. Glad to hear everyone's ok.

[Derk]

How many 737's built and how many of the elder ones still in use ?? Hate to think about what would have happened if this had occurred at 35000 ft........ (Comet like results.....?)

 

 

Houdoe,

 

Derk

Edited April 5, 2011 by Derk

[JediMaster]

There are a LOT of 737s out there. As for how many of the older ones, I'd say quite a few still!

[Toryu]

The FAA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD):

 

http://www.avherald.com/h?article=43a83ca1&opt=0

[DWCAce]

http://atwonline.com/aircraft-engines-components/news/southwest-finds-cracks-two-more-737-300s-0405?cid=nl_atw_dn&YM_RID=#email#?cid=nl_atw_dn&YM_RID=#email#