[CivilWarBrewing]

Would be interesting to find out if Boeings and Airbuses share any commonality with regards to pressurization systems. Or have terrorists figured out an easy way to depressurize the aircraft, other than a small device or bomb?

[Gritty]

Time of Useful Consciousness at 39,000 ft would be 15-20 seconds (approx., with no immediate supplemental oxygen) if there were a rapid depressurization. It would be extremely uncomfortable and immediately noticeable, and the cockpit would fill with condensation vapor (like smoke). Nonetheless, aircrew are trained to don readily available oxygen equipment immediately and they would begin "pressure breathing" and not pass out. If it were not a rapid decompression, there are cockpit warnings set up for when a certain cockpit altitude is reached an alarm would sound and warning lights display. They could then don their oxygen gear quickly.

It sounds as if the aircraft was in a controlled descent and the power must have been pulled back, possibly speed brakes used. "Somebody" was controlling the aircraft on the way down but "somebody" may have been the autopilot if it were set by the pilot at altitude for a controlled but rapid descent but it seems the pilot was perhaps no longer in control shortly thereafter. I suspect a pilot set the aircraft for an emergency descent, perhaps shortly after donning an oxygen mask.

However, the lack of radio communication with the ground is unusual. Notice of an emergency descent would have been given to Air Traffic Control by the pilot as soon as the situation was under control and the pilot had time to transmit, I would think. Therefore, it is probable the pilot(s) were incapacitated quickly after descent was initiated but before they could take other actions - either donning masks or calling ATC.

The debris field looks like a mid-air explosion. That is suspicious and does not look like the aircraft was flown uncontrolled into the ground but destroyed prior to impact at some altitude above it.

Methinks it is way too early to rule out terrorism, but the black box should tell the tale.

[jacquej]

Reading through the threads, I was wondering about this myself. Perhaps depressurizing by remote control, messing with the oxygen devices in some way, etc.

With all the talk about driverless cars being controlled remotely, and hacked... we certainly live in uncertain times.

[cherokee1]

On planes I’m familiar with the pilot, or someone else in the cockpit, has control over both cabin heat and supplemental oxygen. If both heat and oxy go off at , say 30,000 feet, the passengers could be frozen stiff in a matter of minutes. I always suspected something like that happened with the Malaysian plane since none of the passengers seemed to try to get off a cell phone call. They were’nt out of range of civilization initially.