MovieChat Forums > Airport '77 (1977) Discussion > Why did it sink?

Why did it sink?

posted 13 years ago by DeepFriedJello
8 replies | jump to latest

With all that air apparently trapped in there. And aircraft are generally light structures anyway. Fuel is lighter than water.They must have had a cargo full of gold bars.

[–] BehindTheBeat 13 years ago

There was a big whole in the bottom.

[–] namaGemo 12 years ago

That doesn't matter. It only flooded the front section. Just like a ship, there was way more air in that jet than water. It would have floated for a long time before sinking.

[–] Dennis_Cooper 12 years ago

Yep, that was the most glaring inaccuracy of the film. If the pilot was able to belly land on the ocean surface and the plane remained intact it would have floated for quite a while. That's why aircraft that fly over the ocean all carry inflatable life rafts and life jackets. They don't sink like rocks unless they break into pieces and the plane in the film was almost 100% intact.

[–] oggologgo 12 years ago

The airplane is not any where near heavy enough, to sink with that much air trapped inside of it.

[–] rockmail 11 years ago

You're all wrong for a number of reasons.

First of all, aircraft aren't watertight like boats. There are many cracks and holes and openings, which is why the pressurization system operates in a continuous manner, it doesn't just fill up the plane like a big balloon and stop.

Next, aircraft like a 747 are over 100,000 lbs, even when empty! That's not "lightweight" by any measure. It will sink quickly.

Lastly, jet fuel only weighs about 1.5 lbs less per gallon than water, it's not hot air! Airliners don't carry enough fuel to help them float! They would have to carry many, many times their own weight in fuel, and they wouldn't get off the ground!

No gold bars necessary to sink!

[–] rockmail 11 years ago

Also, buoyancy and displacement have a lot to do with size and shape. An airliner is quite slim in relation to its weight (so it is more efficient in flight), that does not make for a great ship unless it is built from extremely light materials, which we already covered about the massive 747.

[–] zeggman 11 years ago

No, you're wrong.

It doesn't matter that there are cracks and openings, since the pressurization system is clearly operating to keep the plane filled with air. If it was filled with water, no one would be questioning why it sank, but since it was filled with air it should be as bouyant as an ocean liner, which also weighs over 100,000 lbs even when empty.

It also doesn't matter how much less per gallon jet fuel weighs. Since it weighs less than water, it helps to float rather than to capsize the plane.

[–] 11 years ago

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