Victims may have died before crash( Passengers frozen solid! )

CNN ^ | 08/15/2005 | CNN

[devane617]

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Investigators were working to determine why a Cypriot plane apparently suffered a catastrophic loss of cabin pressure and slammed into a Greek mountain -- possibly with all 121 people on board already dead. All but two of the bodies have been recovered, a Greek government spokesman said Monday, and officials hope autopsies and cockpit recorders will hold clues to Sunday's crash of Helios Airways Flight 522. The autopsies were ordered to determine if the 115 passengers and six crew were already dead or oxygen-starved before the crash, the spokesman said. A Greek Defense Ministry source with access to the investigation told Reuters that most of the bodies recovered were "frozen solid."

[maestro]

....decom is a word we use when there is a sudden loss of pressure. and in this case, we don't know if pressurtization actually existed. 'They' could have set "the auto level at 35" and set the INS and fallen asleep, non would have been the wiser. Hypoxia would have over taken them quickly at 20,000 flying for an hour with out the heater would have frozen anything within an hour....

Upon.... imminent...'blackout'.... wouldn't they do that (set auto) as last resort?

The cabin situation must have been horrific...

[mewzilla]

Eee. Anyone know how old the plane was, how many cycles (is that the right term?) it had flown?

[Zavien Doombringer]

You can breathe well above 11,000 feet; I don't think breathing is dangerously impaired until 18-20,000 feet. People around here climb Mt. Rainier without oxygen, and it's 14,000 feet.

Actually you have up to 18,000 fett and only 30 minutes before hypoxia sets in. Climbers do carry oxygen bottles for altitude. I can guarantee you that most of us would not survive a hike that high with out supplimental oxygen. The whole purpose to pressurize it to not have to use ozygen maskes. Pressurization starts at 8000 feet to the differential range, then anything about 18,000 is isobaric. Oxygen is required at 100% unless pressurized.

[BykrBayb]

How quickly did people arrive at the crash site, and declare the bodies were frozen solid. Is it feasable that their skin was frozen, making them appear frozen solid?

[Zavien Doombringer]

no, it is quite common for pilots to set auto after rotation.

[Heatseeker]

I'm about 20 miles from Dover; they used to fly over my house all the time (not much lately though, unsure why). Scared the heck out of a visiting cousin, who thought the C-5 was a smaller commercial airliner much closer to the ground, and ran into the house screaming there was about to be a crash. ;)

[HamiltonJay]

That's all well and good, but you only have 15-30 seconds before you pass out if you don't get oxygen....

[Paradox]

Thats it, on my next flight, I am taking along some Viagra. Its not just for the "Mile High" club anymore..

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-09-14-viagra-usat_x.htm

[Lady Jag]

they use chemical generators that give off O2 from a chemical reaction.

Could that have any connection with the air conditioning system that they claimed failed?

What if what came out of their masks killed them? That would explain why the pilots went first...

[maestro]

?...The circumstances of this crash are very confusing. Who was onboard?? Anyone extraordinary?

...You said it first....

:-(

[Zavien Doombringer]

My squadron commander was on a flight, on approach to Dover, all 4 engines were FODed out (foreign object dammage) by canada geese. 3 miles out and glided the sucker in... we watched it come in, it was amazing. Funny thing, only one C-5 has ever crashed and it was due to sudden loss of pressure... the aft doors were blown open and the jet dropped like a rock because of drag...

[maestro]

....no, it is quite common for pilots to set auto after rotation.

hmmmmmm,.....'rotation'.....any new 'converts' on board?

:-(

[Zavien Doombringer]

Oxygen systems and AC systems do not mix. Oxygen isn't pumped through the AC system as some believe

[Jonx6]

Here's a site about the bird we lost at Ramstein, with pictures.
http://rustyknight98.com/C5/C5.htm

FYI, Sgt Galvan kept flying missions during the war.

[Zavien Doombringer]

rotation, = wheel rotation = Take off

[BenLurkin]

"The pilots of the Helios jet had reported an air conditioning problem after takeoff" . . .

Huh.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Some theories in Europe at the moment point to faulty AC which could have being pumping toxic gases through the plane."

That seems like a reasonable explanation, but I wonder what toxic gases there could be unless there were some kind of electrical fire in the AC unit. Also, why were the pilots overcome so quickly when some passengers - apparently were not overcome for quite some time?

[Lady Jag]

Thanks. That knocks that one out of contention.

[mewzilla]

Isn't there a heat exchanger somewhere in there? I've heard of cases where a bad heat exchanger in a furnace caused CO poisoning.

[Zavien Doombringer]

wow, Stand corrected..make that 2 then.. the other was during Operation Baby Lift...