Plane Loses Wing, Flips Over, But All Passengers Survive: How Airplane Design Saved People in Toronto Air Crash

On February 17, a Delta Airlines flight flipped over while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport (Canada). Horrified onlookers feared the worst. Fortunately, all passengers and crew survived thanks to the plane's robust design and the professionalism of its flight attendants, writes CNN.

Photo: Richair | Dreamstime.com

“It’s just phenomenal to see an airplane upside down and then people getting out of it,” said McCormick, an associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “I think it’s a credit to the engineers. It’s the result of years of research in civil aviation.”

Jet fuel is in the wings, not under the cabin

Past plane crashes have taught experts that jet fuel should be stored primarily in the wings, not directly beneath the passengers.

On the subject: Delta plane flips over while landing at Toronto airport, injuring 18

"In the early days of aviation, that's where they stored it - in the bottom of the plane," McCormick explained.

So when Delta's Bombardier CRJ900 pitched and skidded down the runway while making an emergency landing in Toronto on February 17, its right wing, full of fuel, broke away and left a plume of flame behind. The plane continued to skid down the runway and then flipped over.

In this case, the wing's separation prevented the fire from reaching the passenger cabin, said Joe Jacobsen, an aerospace engineer who has worked for Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Parts can break... but if it's within acceptable limits, you need to figure out how it happened and whether it was within design calculations," Jacobsen said.

He said the wing likely broke off due to a design flaw or maintenance issues, which could be the subject of an investigation, he added.

McCormick noted that completely tearing off the wing on impact provides more than just the advantage of dumping potentially explosive fuel.

"We want to separate the fuel from the passenger cabin and still make sure the fuselage can stop in a stable position," he explained.

The plane did indeed end up in a stable position – albeit upside down. But everyone survived, thanks in part to the sturdy seats that could withstand extreme forces.

Impact-resistant seats with seat belts

Most modern passenger planes are required to have so-called 16G seats, which are designed to withstand forces 16 times greater than gravity, McCormick said.

"You don't want the seats to fall apart or come loose in a plane crash - even if the plane flips over," he concluded.

So, as McCormick explained, they are designed not for comfort, but for durability in the event of a crash: “And you probably know this if you’ve ever sat in an economy class seat for more than a few hours.”

The seats include a humble but vital safety feature: life-saving seat belts.

"In this case, without seat belts, passengers would likely have been thrown around the cabin and would have suffered far more injuries," said Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation.

According to CNN aviation analyst Peter Goelz, if this disaster had happened several decades ago, the outcome could have been much more tragic.

“The difference is that all passenger airplanes now have seats that are attached to tracks that are part of the fuselage. They are designed to withstand 16 Gs,” said Goelz, a former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board. “So if you have an emergency landing like that, if you buckle up properly, you can survive the impact and get out. And when you combine that with modern fire-resistant materials, you actually have a good chance of surviving if you follow the instructions.”

Nothing can replace an experienced crew.

While high-tech engineering may help save lives, McCormick said, "the credit for the crew ensuring a safe evacuation cannot be underestimated."

The two flight attendants on the flight had never been in a situation where a plane lands upside down before, said Sarah Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants International (CWA). But they were trained for a variety of scenarios, including evacuating passengers in 90 seconds.

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Although dozens of passengers were strapped in and dangling head-down like bats, the crew managed to evacuate everyone on the plane in less than 90 seconds.

The flight attendants, Nelson said, "did a great job. They were heroes."

“Maybe now the public will be more aware of how important the work of flight attendants is and will be grateful to them,” McCormick concluded. “After all, their duties are not limited to picking up trash and serving drinks. They are trained professionals who are responsible for the safety of passengers. And they did a fantastic job.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

Personal experience: how much do American pilots earn and what do they fear

Flight safety is monitored by people with mental problems

How 379 people escaped from a burning plane in Japan, or Why it is important to listen to the instructions of flight attendants

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