Quote:
Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3
I watched that episode. I don't think it was over is life cycle, it just had a lot of hours on it. Like 40 years old. One of the women saw a minor crack by a rivet, this is where it started.
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If I'm not mistaken a main cause was the high cycle flying and salt water environment of the Hawaiin islands that contributed heavily to the corrosion that led to the fuselage failing.
SteeLy: The hole would have a noticeable effect to the pilots probably. Considering the explosive decompression caused one of the wing root fairings to blow off, those fairings are designed to smooth the airflow around where the wing meets the fuselage. I would assume after the "explosion" was noticed one of the first things the flight crew would have done was slow the aircraft down to minimize any further damage that could be caused.
The overall aerodynamics were probably ok, perhaps needing a little more engine power on that side of the aircraft to compensate for some increased drag due to the hole and missing fairing. Or they could just compensate with some left rudder.