Originally Posted by
Concours77
PineappleFrenzy.
“Given the delay between the initial blade failure and the window failure, I think the evidence available supports the hypothesis that pieces of the cowl, or other secondary debris struck the window as the unbalanced engine wound down...”
Wound down sure. Absent a shaft brake or lock, what does windmilling do in such a circumstance?
I don't think we really know how much of a delay there was between the blade failure and the window failure. Passengers have stated that there was some delay between the initial explosion and the masks dropping, and another delay between the masks dropping and the passenger being sucked out, but how reliable are those accounts, and how much of a delay? Even if that is an accurate chain of events, and a short span elapsed between each, I don't think that eliminates the possibility of something (partial fan blade or other material) from the initial event hitting the window. It would seem a glancing blow could have caused a crack or small hole, which as it spread caused cabin pressure to go down/masks to drop, before failing completely. Am I wrong? Unless they find the pieces (highly unlikely), I doubt if they will ever determine exactly what caused the damage.