Flydubai plane over Tel Aviv, on the Israeli Mediterranean coast (Shutterstock)
The aircraft also descended about 17,400 feet in 92 seconds, with its nose pointed downward at an angle of about 39 degrees.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX involved in the terror attack last week came close to the speed of sound during its steep dive over Saudi Arabia and was subjected to forces beyond its normal operating limits as the aircraft was brought back under control, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Flight-tracking data analyzed by aviation experts indicated that the aircraft may have reached Mach 0.96, just below Mach 1.0, the speed of sound. A Boeing 737 MAX normally operates below its maximum high-altitude speed of Mach 0.82.
The aircraft also descended about 17,400 feet in 92 seconds, with its nose pointed downward at an angle of about 39 degrees. A normal descent is approximately 3 degrees.
Those figures illustrate the severity of the plunge after the terrorist took control of the aircraft. The rapid recovery that followed may have placed additional strain on the plane.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the aircraft experienced an estimated three G’s as it returned to level flight, meaning the plane and those aboard were subjected to forces equivalent to three times normal gravity. T
he Boeing 737 MAX has a maximum positive limit of 2.5 G’s, a level that would not normally be approached during commercial operations.
The aircraft also suffered damage, including to its rudder.
The precise speed and forces experienced during the incident have not yet been established.
The estimates are based on Flightradar24 satellite tracking, which cannot account fully for factors including wind, temperature and atmospheric pressure.
Investigators are expected to obtain more accurate measurements from the aircraft’s flight data recorder, or “black box.” Those readings will help determine the plane’s true airspeed and the extent of the stresses it experienced.
After passengers and backup crew subdued the attacker, an alternate pair of pilots took control of the damaged aircraft.
They flew it for more than an hour before making a safe emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
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