If the plane was going 120 mph, the truck would no longer exist and the plane would've been crushed past first class and everyone would be dead. I'd say somewhere between 30 and 45mph is more likely.
Planes are designed to land on their bellies in crashes, not run into stuff head on, so the way the cockpit is designed to take force is from the bottom in case landing gear fails.
When you run into something head on, it's like when you try to put a lid on a coffee cup from a coffee shop, it can take some pressure, but if you hit it from the wrong angle, like from the lower corner at 5 o'clock instead of 6 o'clock, where it would've struck the firetruck, it pops right off and throws a stewardess onto the tarmac.
Thanks for educated analysis. In my simplistic view, I'm imagining a car driving in a typical residential zone, 25 mph or so, and slamming into something and I couldn't see that kind of impact, even on a larger scale, doing the kind of extensive damage that the plane sustained. Input from you and other anons here has been great to get a better understanding of what occurred. Constant learning on GAW, any variety of topics.
Ripping off the entire front of the craft and catapulting the stewardess, in her seat, through the front just seems "severe". RIP to the two pilots, but this could have been much worse.
I guess it's like slamming into a brick wall.
They're designed to fly, not run into things.
There's that, yes. Interesting comment, above, with your engineering experience. I grabbed a screenshot to read it again later, too.
In your estimation, is the damage to the plane (from various photos in various links) more likely to occur at 24 mph or 120 mph?
If the plane was going 120 mph, the truck would no longer exist and the plane would've been crushed past first class and everyone would be dead. I'd say somewhere between 30 and 45mph is more likely.
Planes are designed to land on their bellies in crashes, not run into stuff head on, so the way the cockpit is designed to take force is from the bottom in case landing gear fails.
When you run into something head on, it's like when you try to put a lid on a coffee cup from a coffee shop, it can take some pressure, but if you hit it from the wrong angle, like from the lower corner at 5 o'clock instead of 6 o'clock, where it would've struck the firetruck, it pops right off and throws a stewardess onto the tarmac.
Thanks for educated analysis. In my simplistic view, I'm imagining a car driving in a typical residential zone, 25 mph or so, and slamming into something and I couldn't see that kind of impact, even on a larger scale, doing the kind of extensive damage that the plane sustained. Input from you and other anons here has been great to get a better understanding of what occurred. Constant learning on GAW, any variety of topics.
Ripping off the entire front of the craft and catapulting the stewardess, in her seat, through the front just seems "severe". RIP to the two pilots, but this could have been much worse.