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ATR42 down in Lake Victoria, at least 19 dead

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ATR42 down in Lake Victoria, at least 19 dead

Old 11-06-2022, 10:59 AM
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Default ATR42 down in Lake Victoria, at least 19 dead

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa...ia-2022-11-06/

Witness said the plane was flying "unsteadily" as it approached the airport in poor visibility.

The plane was submerged with just the top of the wing and tail extending from the water. The lake is just past the airport.

We all know how erroneous initial reports from crash sites are, but this is a really strange one: The two pilots initially survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling. They were dead when rescue workers reached them. It sounds like they were sitting under water breathing O2? I don't think it works that way.
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Old 11-06-2022, 12:28 PM
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Originally Posted by AirBear View Post
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa...ia-2022-11-06/

Witness said the plane was flying "unsteadily" as it approached the airport in poor visibility.

The plane was submerged with just the top of the wing and tail extending from the water. The lake is just past the airport.

We all know how erroneous initial reports from crash sites are, but this is a really strange one: The two pilots initially survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling. They were dead when rescue workers reached them. It sounds like they were sitting under water breathing O2? I don't think it works that way.
If they had the mask on constant pressure it could have kept the water pushed out of the breathing chamber.
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Old 11-06-2022, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Myfingershurt View Post
If they had the mask on constant pressure it could have kept the water pushed out of the breathing chamber.
Yes it would work. That's how both the O2 masks and SCUBA works, regulator holds very slightly below ambient, and then when you inhale it tips the balance and flows. Full flow would work too.
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Old 11-06-2022, 02:43 PM
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If I’m not mistaken the ATR has a cockpit escape hatch.
Once flooded the pressure is equalized.
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Old 11-06-2022, 03:04 PM
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Originally Posted by TiredSoul View Post
If I’m not mistaken the ATR has a cockpit escape hatch.
Once flooded the pressure is equalized.
-8 does and looks similar...don't know about the ATR.
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Old 11-06-2022, 06:39 PM
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Lake Victoria has a lot of very big crocodiles.

Whether the crew elected to stay put underwater is speculative, but how did they manage to communicate with their electronics submerged?
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Old 11-08-2022, 06:00 AM
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Originally Posted by JohnBurke View Post
Lake Victoria has a lot of very big crocodiles.

Whether the crew elected to stay put underwater is speculative, but how did they manage to communicate with their electronics submerged?

Assuming that's correct reporting, I imagine using an antenna on top. Don't know where the radio racks are but batteries will provide power for a good while when submerged, especially in fresh water, especially at low voltages (such as 28VDC). Remotely possible that they could still talk using the mask mics while submerged if nothing shorted out.

Personally I would have spent the time and energy escaping, even with crocs, but I'm also a very good swimmer and pro diver. Could be they simply didn't know how to swim... people from areas where the natural bodies of water are infested with dangerous mega-fauna often don't.
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Old 11-08-2022, 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
Assuming that's correct reporting, I imagine using an antenna on top. Don't know where the radio racks are but batteries will provide power for a good while when submerged, especially in fresh water, especially at low voltages (such as 28VDC). Remotely possible that they could still talk using the mask mics while submerged if nothing shorted out.

Personally I would have spent the time and energy escaping, even with crocs, but I'm also a very good swimmer and pro diver. Could be they simply didn't know how to swim... people from areas where the natural bodies of water are infested with dangerous mega-fauna often don't.
Some say they would rather stay in bed rather than risk falling on the way to the bathroom. Pooping in bed has less risk associated it in the immediate term.
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Old 11-08-2022, 06:36 AM
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A fisherman who was one of the first responders at the site of Sunday's plane crash which killed 19 people in Tanzania's Lake Victoria, has described how he tried to save the pilots stuck in the cockpit and how he nearly lost his life trying to rescue them.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63540823
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