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Forum » International Pilot Forum » Tech Talk

A fiction writer with a technical question -- any information much appreciated!

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Written on: 28. 11. 2009 [02:06]
powerloader Board SO Topic creator registered since: 28.11.2009 Posts: 1	What would happen to a large airliner, like a 747, if its tail section sheared off while cruising at 30,000 feet? Would it instantly drop out of the sky? Would it be thrown into a flat spin? Would it nose down and lose altitude? Would it break up? How would its flying characteristics be affected? Would it be survivable? Any and all information much appreciated! I'm writing a book. cheers James [This article was edited 2 times, at last 28.11.2009 at 07:08.]
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Written on: 30. 11. 2009 [21:18]
fliteadmin Board SFO Administrator Moderator registered since: 26.12.2006 Posts: 243	Hello James, Any airplane loosing its tail section would be unable to continue to fly. It would simply become uncontrollable. What kind of maneuver it would enter is difficult to say, it might actually break up into pieces before even reaching the ground due to the high load on the structure. Flying characteristics would be severely affected, because there are simply no more characteristics deserving this name. It would definitely not be survivable anymore. Hope this helps. Good luck with your book. flightwork.com - International Pilot Network
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A fiction writer with a technical question -- any information much appreciated!

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