5 ms·

(Qualifier: I know very little about planes or the background of this case) If the part found was a last minute patch, I'd guess that the patch wasn't properly

(Qualifier: I know very little about planes or the background of this case) If the part found was a last minute patch, I'd guess that the patch wasn't properly attached, so came off in flight; then the plane crashed as a result of losing the patch. Otherwise, what are the chances of that being the only piece found...

exDM69 12y ago
That's the first thought that springs to mind, but not necessarily the case. Aircraft from that era were quite solid and they did not have a pressurized hull. The Lockheed Electra and other similar aircraft from the same era flew in wartime operations and regularly came back full of holes. A single window broken cover should not bring an otherwise sound 1930s era aircraft down.
- snowballsteve 12y ago
  Exactly correct. There is no way a missing window would bring down the plane, especially the back window, unless by some freak accident the patch damaged a control surface on the tail by breaking free. One can think of an almost limitless list of more likely hypotheses.
  - davvolun 12y ago
    To be completely fair, a list such as insulating foam peeling off and striking the wing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia#Final_mission_and_destruction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia#Final_mi...) or a random bird striking a plane and causing a failure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike#Incidents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike#Incidents)? I'm not saying it happened, or even that it's likely, I'm saying stranger things have happened.
joshdance 12y ago
Planes could take a lot of beating and still fly. Grandfather flew a bomber in World War 2 and planes would come back with hundreds of holes. Losing a patch should not have brought down the plane. A modern airline, yes, it could have a much bigger effect. Pressurized hulls, electronic flight systems etc are more fragile.
- Shivetya 12y ago
  reminds of a HN favorite story, about how the study of bombers links up with work done today http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671172/how-a-story-from-world-war-ii-shapes-facebook-today http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671172/how-a-story-from-world-w...
51Cards 12y ago
Regarding this being the only piece found... if they needed to get parts off the plane for use as tools, this patch would be a good target piece of metal to go for prying free. I still feel the odds are pretty slim but they make an interesting (if sketchy) case. Hopefully something more concrete will come up in future.

exDM69 12y ago

That's the first thought that springs to mind, but not necessarily the case. Aircraft from that era were quite solid and they did not have a pressurized hull. The Lockheed Electra and other similar aircraft from the same era flew in wartime operations and regularly came back full of holes. A single window broken cover should not bring an otherwise sound 1930s era aircraft down.

snowballsteve 12y ago
Exactly correct. There is no way a missing window would bring down the plane, especially the back window, unless by some freak accident the patch damaged a control surface on the tail by breaking free. One can think of an almost limitless list of more likely hypotheses.
- davvolun 12y ago
  To be completely fair, a list such as insulating foam peeling off and striking the wing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia#Final_mission_and_destruction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia#Final_mi...) or a random bird striking a plane and causing a failure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike#Incidents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike#Incidents)? I'm not saying it happened, or even that it's likely, I'm saying stranger things have happened.

joshdance 12y ago

Planes could take a lot of beating and still fly. Grandfather flew a bomber in World War 2 and planes would come back with hundreds of holes. Losing a patch should not have brought down the plane. A modern airline, yes, it could have a much bigger effect. Pressurized hulls, electronic flight systems etc are more fragile.

Shivetya 12y ago
reminds of a HN favorite story, about how the study of bombers links up with work done today http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671172/how-a-story-from-world-war-ii-shapes-facebook-today http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671172/how-a-story-from-world-w...

51Cards 12y ago

Regarding this being the only piece found... if they needed to get parts off the plane for use as tools, this patch would be a good target piece of metal to go for prying free. I still feel the odds are pretty slim but they make an interesting (if sketchy) case. Hopefully something more concrete will come up in future.