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Old 3rd Jul 2009, 13:54
  #2842 (permalink)  
4nsicdoc
 
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As a forensic scientist, I am intrigued that there has been no reporting of any histological exams of the remains of the victims, which would conclusively show whether an inflight breakup, with a resulting ejection of occupants, occurred. Subjection to ambient temperatures in the -40C range (which would be about right for that latitude in June) and a terminal velocity in the 190mph range at 30,000-35,000 feet would have resulted in almost instantaneous tissue freezing of all exposed flesh. The formula for deriving wind chill is:
T (wind chill) = 35.74 + .6275*(ambient)-35.75V^.16 + .4275*T(ambient)*V(airspeed)^.16.If your calculator is in your flightbag, the result is a windchill of about -300C.With rapid onset cooling of that magnitude, several things would be readily apparent upon microscopic examination; e.g., water transport effects (dehydration) extracellular ice formation with mechanical crushing damage to cells, intercellular ice formation damage, cell darkening and twitching if the cooling rate was>25decC/min, which it surely would have been.
Of course, knowing the mechanism of the injury says nothing about the ultimate cause of the loss of the aircraft, but knowing might narrow the possibilities.
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