Originally Posted by
tonytales
I remember at one time many aircraft had "cut here" markings on the fuselage.
These ["In case of emergency cut here" alongside rectangular markings] appeared on UK aircraft in the wake of the Stockport air crash in 1967, a Canadair C-4 approaching Manchester with multiple engine failure which struck the ground in a survivable manner but was destroyed after quite some minutes by fire. The Stockport police first on the scene (including my elder brother, who had recently joined the force) attempted a break-in to the cabin at what turned out later to have been a strong point, with trapped passengers visibly beating on the windows from inside. Hence the markings. And my particular interest. You are right, they seem to have disappeared. Were they required by the CAA, and did the FAA also mandate them ? I understand there was no actual structural weakening, it just marked where there were no frames, pipework, etc.
It is noticeable how safety initiatives gradually get airbrushed away over time. The British Midland 1989 East Midlands 737 accident led to accident report comment about understanding the route to emergency exits in a smoke-filled cabin. I was a regular on BMA in the 1990s and their safety briefings included a strong "To find the exit follow the floor lighting. It's down here. Look", and the floor lighting would be switched on and off by the lead FA to demonstrate it. I believe the BMA aircraft had a wiring mod done to allow this from the FA position. Once several years had passed, however, the emphasis for this very gradually faded away, the airline was merged, and now it gets mentioned, if at all, only in passing.