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Old 12th June 2005 | 13:32
  #12 (permalink)  
RatherBeFlying
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Joined: Sep 2001
: CPL
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From: Toronto
Rubik, The cases you have just cited all had their initial contact on a runway.

The initial contact is the most critical part as that's when the a/c is at its highest energy. By the time they have run off the runway, a considerable part of the energy has been dissipated.

NASA ran some impact tests with flood damaged Navaho airframes. The first series was onto concrete and the crashes were deemed largely survivable.

They then covered the surface with earth. The subsequent crashes demonstrated a tendency to dig in and the dummies did not fare as well as before.

When coming back to Earth under control, moderating longitudinal acceleration is the key survivability factor.
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