gotsand wrote:
big kahuna wrote:
"Explosive decompression" is somewhat of a myth,I suppose you included 'somewhat' to include decompression accidents like those involving commercial saturation divers? Admittedly very different circumstances than those occurring on an airliner, but it's no myth.
This is from an account of such an accident on the North Sea in the 80's. "Subsequent investigation by forensic pathologists determined Hellevik, being exposed to the highest pressure gradient, violently exploded due to the rapid and massive expansion of internal gases. All of his thoracic and abdominal organs, and even his thoracic spine, were ejected, as were all of his limbs. Simultaneously, his remains were expelled through the narrow trunk opening left by the jammed chamber door, less than 60 centimetres (24 in) in diameter. Fragments of his body were found scattered about the rig. One part was even found lying on the rig's derrick, 10 metres (30 ft) directly above the chambers."
I did exclude it for that reason. Sat diving and decompression is of a different physical and physiological character than that seen when a pressure vessel like a commercial airliner's fuselage is holed. In the case of an airliner's decompression, the pressure between the cabin interior and the outside air usually equalizes so rapidly that the fuselage -- which expands and contracts with pressurization cycles -- is able to survive the insult. Because it's much hardier than the human body by far.
Here's a photo of that famed Aloha Air flight that suffered probably the ultimate in decompression from damage to the fuselage (it managed to land safely):
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