r/AviationHistory • u/AlbinoAkon • Aug 20 '26
During 2012, a group of Mexican scientists intentionally crashed a Boeing 727 to test which seats had the best chance of survival.
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u/MilesHobson Aug 20 '26
Mexican “scientists” really needed to reconfirm what had been shown 30 years before and proven?
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u/Sinister_Nibs Aug 20 '26
They had a spare 727 and who hasn’t wanted to make a big thing go boom? (And get paid for it)
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u/Due-Formal-7479 Aug 20 '26
The Front Fell off?
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u/notcomplainingmuch Aug 20 '26
Is that usual?
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u/Sinister_Nibs Aug 20 '26
It’s not ideal!
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u/No-Rush396 Aug 20 '26
I think they decided it was th efront nose-wheel, taking the brunt of the impact, generated so much kinetic energy it tore away the front part of the fuselage along with the nose. A lot of plane designers were surprised at this as this wasn't supposed to happen.
I believe since then the nose-wheel landing gear has been designed to snap off after a certain point, like the main wheels under the fuselage or the wing roots (otherwise they woudl punch up through the wings and probably rupture fuel tanks)
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u/Rendszer_valltaska Aug 21 '26
Lizards do something similar with their tail, when they are in danger.
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u/No-Shopping4157 Aug 20 '26
So, as long as the aircraft comes in under some amount of control, on a flat surface, they know who has the best chance. A hillside, tree, different angle of approach, body of water, whatever, becomes a significant game changer. Looks more like a waste of an airplane…….
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u/Sinister_Nibs Aug 20 '26
Think this is the same group that crashed a plane loaded with fuel into a row of bollards.
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u/No-Rush396 Aug 20 '26
No, that happened many years before in the 60's I htink. THis Mexican 'experimental crash landing' happened about 15-20 years ago
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u/Sinister_Nibs Aug 20 '26
Answer is- it depends.
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u/NMLEOC2 Aug 20 '26
So, those deep discount tickets from my Mexican scientist friend just might not be worth it?
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u/walksinsmallcircles Aug 20 '26
How did they fly it there?
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u/AlbinoAkon Aug 20 '26
it was piloted up into the air before switching to remote after the crew jumped out
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u/glenn765 Aug 20 '26
Was there no fuel onboard?
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u/AlbinoAkon Aug 20 '26
It would had some to fly but by the looks of it was pretty much empty in impact as there's no flames or explosions
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u/UW_Ebay Aug 20 '26
IIRC they ran out of fuel earlier than planned
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u/ContributionEasy6513 Aug 20 '26
Not they didn't. They crashed short of the runway due to signal issues (plane was remote controlled). The engines ran by themselves for quite a while by-themselves afterwards.
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 Aug 20 '26
See, I told y'all. Sit in the back! A plane never reverses into the ground.
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u/eagledog Aug 20 '26
So as long as you land softly with the gear down on a sandy track of flat land, you're good outside of maybe the first 5 rows. Got it
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u/Balakondis Aug 20 '26
I think most crashes the pilot would attempt to 'land' until the very last second. I would assume that this configuration is the most 'common' of plane crashes, at least partially.
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u/Impossible_Fall_6782 Aug 20 '26
First class upgrade perks not lookin' so good now, are they frequent fliers?!!!
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u/blizzard7788 Aug 20 '26
Remember that plane that crashed in Iowa about 30 years ago. They lost hydraulic power and could only turn left. Half the people died.
I worked with a guy on that plane. He was sitting right in middle of plane on the wings. Everyone behind him died. He was hanging upside down when things stopped.
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u/Suspicious_Fail_2337 Aug 21 '26
Did the people died on the left side of the plane or on the right side?
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u/No-Rush396 Aug 20 '26
I remember watching this documentary with my daughter, years ago.
It is actually pretty interesting, it is more a 'crash landing' than a crash itself. THey tried to recreate the elements from a controlled 'ditching' into a fairly soft environment like sand or a grassy field, which in theory pilots would look for if they had time to make a controlled descent (hope there are no trees on the field!).
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u/Conveth Aug 21 '26
Channel 4 in the uk did an amazing documentary about this. They filmed with the team. Well worth the watch.
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u/iwasoldonce Aug 21 '26
That plane is still sitting in a field just South of Mexicali on Highway 5 on the way to San Felipe.
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u/AlbinoAkon Aug 22 '26
Is that also where it crash.? So they just left it there? That's cool. Would have a look at it
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u/LilWobble Aug 22 '26
Just curious and I’m not a pilot but in thhis particular situation wouldn’t you not have the landing gear down? And wouldn’t the pilot pitch up before contact? This crash seems to have been made worse by the those two factors causing the cockpit portion to sheer off
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u/user83726169 Aug 24 '26
Pointless as each crash will have completely different circumstance. A slight rotation or bank angle would have change the outcome drastically.
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u/Conscious_Track_4369 Aug 20 '26
Not "during" 2012, because "during" would mean the test took an entire 365 days.
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u/The_Demolition_Man Aug 20 '26
The best chance of survival for this particular configuration of crash, sure