Jet's broken window leads to emergency landing

[sevenstrokeroll]

Go to Google News

Jet's broken window leads to emergency landing
5 hours ago
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An American Airlines jetliner made an emergency landing after a pane from a cabin window shattered during a flight and the shards of glass disabled an engine.
There was no pressure loss in the cabin and none of the 132 people aboard the Fort Myers, Fla.-bound flight was harmed Sunday, American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said.
The outside pane of the triple-pane window broke about 20 minutes after the 7:35 p.m. takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
The MD-80's two engines are mounted at the tail rather than on the wings, and Smith said the broken window "was unfortunately near the engine." Smith said the glass shards sucked into the engine would have created "a disconcerting noise" for passengers.
He said the plane could fly safely on the remaining engine, but the plane returned to DFW rather than continue on to Florida.
Asked about the cause of the break, he said, "We don't really know. Just repeated pressurization can put stress on the window without breaking. That is fairly unusual."
The passengers departed on another flight about an hour after landing, he said. The pilot lowered the oxygen masks, but only as a precaution, and he did not instruct the passengers to put them on, Smith said.


Hosted by
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Mr @ Spotty M]

Must be the only airliner in the world that has GLASS for its cabin windows.:ugh:

[tbaylx]

Normally they are made from plexiglass or polycarbonate laminate.

[jewitts]

Normally they are made from plexiglass or polycarbonate laminate.
Yes, but since polymeric materials have little scratch resistance the often have a thin glass layer as the outermost facing.
From the scant description, it sounds as if the whole outer (laminate) layer failed - big enough and tough enough to damage turbine blades. But I suppose "Glass shards" being "sucked into the engine would have created "a disconcerting noise" for passengers" sounds better to a Journo???

[anartificialhorizon]

Yawn.........

It's so fulfilling when you are "expert" on something....:rolleyes:

I know journo's have their faults when reporting but they cannot be experts on everything they report on!

In this case they were trying to explain to a very wide and diverse readership what happened and the report just about sums it up. Who wants to read about the exact chemical composition of the outer pane? By reporting that it was a glass outer pane that was sucked into the engine just about sums it up.....

[Blues&twos]

I have to agree with anartificialhorizon.

Not such a bad article really given the readership; factual, not much sensationalism ("We thought we were going to die!!!"), no near misses, plunges, loud explosions or panic-fuelled screaming passengers reported. The cabin crew weren't even mentioned, let alone any passenger description of there being "fear etched on their faces".

And let's be honest what does saying "the shards of glass coated polycarbonate laminate disabled an engine." really add to the report?

[VAFFPAX]

Well, "polycarbonate-glass laminate shards" is a mouthful... besides, how many commoners who suck up what the rags write, know what "laminate" or "polycarbonate" is? In the US certainly not many.

Glass is easier to understand... even if it's inaccurate. After all, it's designed to SELL PAPERS, not puzzle the poor reader.

Coming from a media (don't lump me in with newspaper/numedia/web two-dot-oh hacks, please) background, I know how corners are cut everywhere to dumb things down for the common denominator.

I tend to be cynical when I read stuff like that... Don't mind me.

S.

[modelcuirstudios]

The Article Says "3 panes" Which probably points to the cockpit windows...as I dont think I've seen cabin windows as 3 panes....

[white_elephant]

Mmmmm maybe 2 panes, but the outer being coated could be mis-interpreted as 3 panes, after all, and as previously mentioned the journo's are not a/c construction experts. :)

[spannersatcx]

The Article Says "3 panes" Which probably points to the cockpit windows...as I dont think I've seen cabin windows as 3 panes....

Shows how little you know then, as passenger windows have an outer pane a middle pane and inner scratch panel (the one you rest your head on) total 3.:eek:

[Mr @ Spotty M]

Well posted "spannersatcx".:ok:

[glhcarl]

Yes, but since polymeric materials have little scratch resistance the often have a thin glass layer as the outermost facing.

Cabin windows are made from streched ACRYLIC which has better scratch resistance. Only the forward facing flight station windows have a glass coatiing.

[nooluv]

Is this true? the plane could fly safely on the remaining engine, but the plane returned to DFW rather than continue on to Florida.

I always wonder if md 80's can fly with two engines!

[HAWK21M]

Pax Windows have Total 3 panes.The Inner most is decorative & cannot carry pressure loads.
regds
MEL

[Pugilistic Animus]

obviously handled as a 'routine emergency' ---in a professional manner:ok:

[Robert Campbell]

Reminds me of the time my wife and I were flying from Greenville-Spartanberg, SC to ATL on a Delta 732 in June 1988. We were sitting in the last row of seats and shortly after TO I heard a strained squeeking sound coming from the window area. I watched a crack starting to form in the upper right corner of the middle pane. The crack was only about a quarter of an inch long. I called the FA. She looked at it then headed for the front office. A minute or two later, one of the pilots calmly announced that we had reached our cruising altitude of 10,000 ft..

During the rest of the flight, we listened very carefully to the airframe. It was quietly creaking and groaning. It was obvious that this was a worn out machine. My wife, a former TWA Stew (yes, stewardess. She was on the last 1649s and first gen. 707s) and a concert 'cellist, was more tuned to the sounds than I was.

After docking at ATL, We waited for the crowd to clear, and then started for the door. The FO passed us as we walked forward, then the Capt. stopped me as I approached the exit door. He thanked me for the heads-up and said that this AC was scheduled to be retired soon, but that he thought it might be retired even sooner now.

This was two months after the Aloha 732 incident. Some pilots flying the 732s were, understandably, a tad nervous.