Watch a Boeing 727 Crash on TV Tonight

Catch Discovery Channel intentionally crashing a Boeing 727 at 9pm Eastern tonight.

I love the show Mythbusters, but I have to admit–a lot of the draw is that they intentionally blow things up.  So, of course, an intentional plane crash is right up my alley.

According to the NY Daily News:

Big Flo had been built in 1974 and had carried hundreds of thousands of travelers. At one point she was even used by former Senator Bob Dole as a campaign plane during his 1996 presidential run.

But for this crash and burn, the scientists posed questions like:

— Where is the safest place to sit?

— Is there such a thing as assuming a proper crash position?

— Are massive airframes really designed to withstand crashes?

The plane was originally flown by a crew of military pilots who parachuted out. Cool!

I wonder how this compares to the episode of Mythbusters where they “busted” the myth of the brace position increasing your chances of dying.  They also found that any position upon crashing left their dummies with broken legs.

20% of deaths of plane crashes come from the actual crash, and 80% from the aftermath.  So the broken leg injury is the most significant.  But the brace position didn’t affect this either way.

They weren’t using a real plane, so I wonder how their results will compare.  And I wonder if there is any position that protects the legs.

If you check out the show, let me know what you think!  I’ll be watching.

Here are some photos of the crash from the Discovery site.

a plane crashed on the beach

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/plane-crash-pictures.htm

 

About Jeanne Marie Hoffman

Former bartender, still a geek. One equal part each cookies, liberty, football, music, travel, libations. Stir vigorously. +Jeanne Marie Hoffman Jeanne on Twitter

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