SW Airlines - another ragtop 737

[Rob W 0]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12947583

 

The US carrier Southwest Airlines has grounded for inspection about 80 of its planes after a hole opened up in mid-air in the roof of one of its aircraft.

 

Investigators have ruled out terrorism, but so far have not been able to establish the cause of the rupture.

 

The hole caused a sudden drop in cabin pressure, and Flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento was forced to make a steep descent and emergency landing.

 

One flight attendant was slightly injured during the incident on Friday.

 

Witnesses said a couple of people aboard the Boeing 737-300 nearly passed out while scrambling for oxygen masks.

 

There were 118 passengers and crew on board the 15-year-old plane.

 

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apparently an inspection of another one of this series detected a possible problem in this location in the fuselage 9 months ago and the airlines were given 18 months to fix it - hence the sudden withdrawal of 80 planes - presumably the unfixed ones

[Park Life 71]

That fleet is getting too old.

[Rob W 0]

I think I'd rather fly in an old 737 than a lot of planes out there - they have an excellent record as a design and tend to fail soft rather than hard

 

The oldest plane I've paid to travel in was a DC-3 that was at least 65 years old- but still going strong