A Japanese plane headed from Tokyo to Texas had to make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to open one of its doors during the flight.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight 114 was diverted to Seattle hours after taking off on Saturday “due to an unruly passenger”, the airline said.
Port of Seattle police told media they had been notified of a man who “attempted to open exit doors during the flight”.
The man, who was not identified, was “having a medical crisis” and had to be restrained by other passengers and flight crew, police said.
Screamingly painful? Bursting eardrums? Probably not.
Atmospheric pressure at 30,000 feet is about 4.3psia. Aircraft cabins are pressurized to about 12psia. There will be about an 8psig difference when you lose pressurization.
To put that into perspective, diving to a depth of 20 feet is about 8.6psig relative to the surface. A sudden loss of pressure would be the equivalent of quickly rising from the bottom of a 20’ pool.
For most, the pressure will equalize almost instantly.
Hrm.
I appreciate the actual psi numbers… maybe I just have particularly sensitive ears/vestibular system?
I’ve had painful ear popping experiences from going over mountain ranges in a car… maybe ‘eardrum bursting’ is a bit hysterical of me, but multiple times I’ve gone from sea level to between 5k and 10k feet, and when my ear pressure equalize, it is often quite painful for minutes.
“Pressure” is typical. “Discomfort” is typical. If you don’t have an underlying condition like a sinus infection, “pain” is not typical. You might want to talk to an ENT.
I’m a balloon pilot. My ears will typically first equalize about 500 feet above ground level. I’ll occasionally hear small little “farts” as the pressure changes, but I rarely feel anything more than slight pressure.
If your ears aren’t equalizing until a 5k ascent, that’s approximately 2psi pressure differential. I can see how that would be quite painful.
If your ears won’t clear at all, yes, you’d have a problem. But, you’re indicating your ears do eventually equalize. You won’t experience more pain than what you already do.
Even though there is an 8psi difference between cabin and atmospheric pressure, your sinuses apparently start “leaking” at a 2psi differential; they won’t build up an 8psi difference across your eardrums.
You might try a nasal/sinus decongestant before an ascent. Pseudoephedrine works best for me, but it tends to make my head swim. Oxymetazoline nasal spray works well, but I get terrible rebound congestion from it. Phenylephrine pills do nothing, but phenylephrine nasal spray (“4-Way”) works very well for me.
Hey, entirely seriously, I do appreciate your breakdown and info, and even your suggestion to see an ENT… the last time I saw my primary care physician, they actually said they would refer me to one, given all the symptoms I’ve been having recently and over the past years.
Psuedoephedrine also makes me… basically near black out drunk, in terms of wooziness…
I will actually star/favorite this post here with all the other medications you mention so I can bring them up whenever my ENT refferal goes through.
=D