Terrorist turn-off - British Civil Aviation Authority blows up jet in experiment - CAA - Brief Article

Science World, Jan 12, 1998

This explosion of a Boeing 747 jet is not a horrific terrorist crime. it's one of the most dramatic experiments in aviation history. The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently blew up the jet at an English airfield. Their aim: to test how terrorist bombs inside baggage and cargo containers tear apart an airplane.

"We want to know how explosions work, and how structures fail," says CAA spokesman Rory Martin. Their objective is to prove that simple changes in cargo container design can save lives even if a bomb erupts.

Researchers placed four bombs in storage containers underneath passenger aisles. Experiment results: One baggage container hardened with material like that used in bulletproof vests reduced the bomb's force. Another "bulletproof" panel protected the fuselage, or plane's body, from total destruction. Hopefully, the CAA's final report will make way for such strategies to turn off terrorist destruction.