AA2293 non-issue

[poorjohn]

AA2293 (B757) out of KSFO had some kind of issue with interior panels rearranging themselves en route, leading to an uneventful return. (Today 13 Oct 14 LT) Even the news media seems underwhelmed. Wonder what happened? Can't imagine it wouldn't have been stressful to the pax.

[Mark in CA]

A non-issue only in the sense that nothing bad resulted. But this is still a developing story, with little detailed info on what may have been the root cause here.

Here's a more detailed account. Appears that interior plastic panels on both sides of the aircraft popped open around row 14. Could there have been some kind of bending stress in the fuselage?

Broken panels on plane only cosmetic, experts say (http://news.yahoo.com/broken-panels-plane-only-cosmetic-072406387.html)

[Capot]

Aviation safety experts agreed with that assessment and said that while it is disconcerting for passengers to see any piece of the plane break, the cabin's wall panels are not part of the plane's structure.Quite an understatement; most passengers are intelligent enough to appreciate very quickly that while the panels are not (in one sense) part of the structure, sudden and evidently noisy separation of them at one point in the fuselage might well be an indication of some kind of deformation of the primary structure.

It's a very rational fear, isn't it, even if it turns out that the cause had nothing to do with problems with the primary structure?

I would have been writing my LW&T, waiting for the fuselage to fall apart, but then I'm a pessimist by nature.

[JohnnyRocket]

American Airlines plane cabin walls crack loose on flight from San Francisco to Dallas | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2791971/american-airlines-plane-cabin-walls-crack-loose-flight-san-francisco-dallas.html)

[glendalegoon]

another report indicated an air duct ruptured causing the panels to come loose. air ducts that might supply the WEMAC (those little ball thingys that the air comes out).

things happen. looked at the flight track, plane went all the way to mono lake before hanging a U.

ears poppping happened, but come on, it happens on a normal flight too.

but let's wait for the verdict from mx

[AirScotia]

Happened Monday 13th, I think. Clearly cabin pressure not lost, but pretty alarming for the pax.

American Airlines plane cabin walls crack loose on flight from San Francisco to Dallas | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2791971/american-airlines-plane-cabin-walls-crack-loose-flight-san-francisco-dallas.html)

Astonished travellers feared the plane would crash as interior panels on both sides of the cabin pulled apart from the walls, exposing insulation, and they felt a change in cabin pressure due to a possible blown air duct.

[Capot]

Many thanks, Air Scotia. How would we have known about it without your help?

[emoroid]

Looks like the panel that covers the risers from the air conditioning packs. Could be a leak that blew the lining off