A U.S.-bound plane took off from London last month with four damaged window panes, including two that were completely missing, according to U.K. air accident investigators.
No one was injured by the window malfunctions, which appear to have been caused by high-power lights used in a film shoot, the U.K.’s Air Accident Investigation Branch reported in a special bulletin published Nov. 4.
From the photo it looks like the inner window panes were still intact. That would be enough to keep the plane pressurised, I’m guessing. For a while at least.
Those windows are really thin plastic and are supported by the plastic trim and panels on the aircraft interior. They are highly unlikely to support much pressurization. Air would have escaped around them via under the panels and through panel seams.
Sure, but the engine bleed air would have been constantly replacing it, so it’s plausible the cabin altitude lagged behind the aircraft altitude.