Would flying at 45,000 feet have any effect on the passengers?

[Renew Deal]

Would it knock them out if they didn't have a source of oxygen?

[Renew Deal]

4. I just read something else about flying high

Depending on the direction, speed and altitude of its flight, investigators estimate the jet could have had less than an hour's worth of fuel left at the point of the last satellite signal. But if the plane stayed high to be more efficient, it could have had significantly more fuel left at that point.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304185104579439403486098062

[pnwmom]

2. The 43K limit isn't the absolute maximum, and 45K isn't much higher than 43K.

So it's unlikely the passengers would have been affected.

[NuclearDem]

3. Unless the cabin is depressurized, not likely.

Though knowing they're 45k feet up could be frightening.

[flamingdem]

5. It's sounding more like an accident, malfunction than terrorism, piracy

to me. Perhaps they tried to go higher because they lost navigational ability and knew they would need the fuel.

etc.

[mn9driver]

7. The problem is the transponder.

Since the plane flew for an extended period after it stopped, and the Satcom link was periodically pinging during that time, it means that the aircraft had normal electrical power available to it and the transponder was just turned off. The Satcom link is not wired into the standby electrical system, so if there was a major power failure that killed the transponder, the Satcom link would have gone out as well. It didn't.

Meaning someone almost certainly deliberately turned off the transponder. Who did that, and why? Nobody knows.

[flamingdem]

8. If that is for certain I wonder why the talking heads are floating

the lithium battery story and other incident related theories.

I guess it's easier than imagining some nut wanting to take out that many innocents. Wonder if we'll ever know.

[morningfog]

9. It was hijacked.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024666654

Hang on.

[flamingdem]

10. Thanks for the heads up n/t

[mn9driver]

6. By itself, no.

Many passenger aircraft fly at that altitude and higher, including some models of the 747 and almost all long range corporate jets. The Concorde typically flew at up to 61,000 feet.

If the cabin was depressurized at that altitude, anyone without supplemental oxygen would die in a fairly short period of time. That's why there are emergency masks that drop automatically at each passenger seat if there is a depressurization event. Those masks are typically good for around 20 minutes, during which time the pilots are supposed to rapidly descend to 10,000 feet so that people can breathe once the oxygen runs out.

If the airplane depressurizes at high altitude and the pilots do not descend (their oxygen mask system is separate and lasts longer), once the passenger emergency oxygen is used up, it's lights out. No sane pilot would allow that to happen. It would effectively be mass murder.

[longship]

11. Where is this info coming from?

A citation would be very helpful here. Especially since this seems like an implausible scenario.

Thanks.

[Renew Deal]

12. Unnamed Malaysian "officials"

But it has been picked up by many of the big sources. MSNBC broke into prison documentaries to report it. Also seen it on ABC, Sky, Hindustan Times, and several others.

[longship]

13. Details? No citation? nt

[Renew Deal]

14. Nothing yet, but the press conference should be starting "soon"

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/live

[longship]

15. I don't believe the 45,000 ft claim for a second.

And I have not seen a single mention in the major news sites.

Thanks for the link. It has not started yet. These things never begin on schedule.

[Renew Deal]

16. The altitude claim had a disclaimer

The disclaimer was that accuracy couldn't be guaranteed after the transponder was turned off.

[longship]

17. Yup! Who could have predicted that?

Basically anybody, I guess.

In other words, it's bullshit.

[IDemo]

18. The altitude info was from military radar, not civilian

As one expert explained last night, military radar doesn't rely on enemy planes advertising their position with transponders; there is additional geometry built in to supply altitude info.

[Skittles]

19. a pilot told me he doubted the accuracy of the altitude information base on Malaysian military radar

yes indeed

[PlanetaryOrbit]

20. If the cabin is pressurized, no.

Wouldn't be different than 35,000 feet.

[sakabatou]

21. Unless something happened to the cabin itself, no