Originally Posted by
cougar
Assuming the aircraft was either hijacked or the pilots went rogue, the problem of controlling the passengers could be accomplished by opening the outflow valves.
Once the masks drop, the passengers are immobile. At 45,000 feet the oxygen supply is reduced, more than likely less than the 12 minutes advertised.
Re-pressurize when able.
Disclaimer, I'm not saying this is what happened.
Motive is the pertinent question in my view.
If suicide, why fly 7+ plus hours? Standard hijacking, where are the demands? If 9/11 style attack, they missed badly. Where is the wreckage?
Very strange.
Long meandering flight after the first turn means whomever was in control succumbed to the low pressure and perished.
If the aircraft actually got to 45k and stayed there awhile, those masks aren't going to completely protect you. The Dixie cups in the back are less than useless under those conditions, pax would be gone in minutes.