Ishidan01 t1_itr1z7o wrote
Reply to comment by wmantly in TIL that flight recorders must be able to withstand an acceleration of 3400 g for 6.5 milliseconds and that this is roughly equivalent to an impact velocity of 270 knots (310 mph; 500 km/h). by IchBinKoloss
Yes, but cruising speed is also very far from anything to crash into.
At a closing speed of 1,000 mph, a head on collision wouldn't leave much on the recorder anyway- you wouldn't have time to speak between perceiving the oncoming and impact.
Plane just disintegrates? Engines gone so thrust lost, what's left falls by gravity against wind resistance, so what is terminal velocity for a powerless fuselage?
Otherwise, most crashes will be at lower speeds, as the pilot tries to soften the impact with whatever slow-down ability is left.
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