Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the Pilot: The safe landing of the damaged Qantas 747 was no miracle. Plus: If a plane loses pressure, will your eyes pop out?

Back on July 25, this column included a brief item about the safety record of Qantas, the kangaroo-tailed national airline of Australia. That same day, as fate would have it, a Qantas 747 en route from Hong Kong to Melbourne suffered an in-flight decompression, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in the Philippines. A large hole was discovered in the forward lower fuselage, purportedly caused by a burst oxygen tank. <P>Although none of the 365 passengers or crew was injured, the incident made news all around the world, with photos of the "car-size hole" amply featured in full, above-the-fold color. Observers were incredulous. "How did the 747 remain in one piece?" Was it not a "miracle" that such a badly damaged aircraft managed to land safely? <p>...</p><img src="http://feeds.salon.com/~r/salon/tech/~4/352116439" height="1" width="1"/>

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