A321 explosion at Mogadishu

[CONSO]

Groooan Explosive decompression

would have lead to an explosive decompression by any measure.

Puuuhllleeese !- It is a shame that the vast media types have picked up the term explosive decompression for years - **probably** based on the Comet disasters.

If one simply checks with wiki or a few other sites and definitions, it comes down to :

A) Explosive decompression is when the pressure drops so fast that the lungs cannot exhale fast enough to equalize the pressure, causing severe damage to organs, etc- and often death ( the time involved is much less than 1 second depending on total pressure differential )

B) Other forms/definitions for rapid decompression ( talking airplanes here - not diving ) usually involve times more than a second or two. Not comfortable, but not deadly in themselves.

IMO for this case and most cases involving puncture or loss of a skin panel or two the term RAPID really applies ( again ignoring the explosive cause )

Of course the press prefers the term explosive for even a window failure or even a airconditioning duct failure allowing a SLOW or RAPID loss of pressure
And the public has visions of a balloon bursting with thousands of pieces like confetti . .