atom.xml"/> index.rdf"/> index.xml"/>
 
masthead

Flight 522 Archives

Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Aug. 15

Dr. Wecht was back on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith discussing the crash of Flight 522 in Greece. Greek officials have theorized as many as six people may have been alive at the time of the crash, but both Dr. Wecht and former NTSB chairman Jim Burnett doubt that was actually the case.

"I find it very difficult to believe that that would be the case, because there was, what, about 35, 40 minutes in which the plane was on autopilot. If the crash had occurred within a matter of some minutes, then you could have that kind of disparity in terms of mortality, some people having bad lungs and bad heart, and other people being in great health.

But with that passage of time, I would think that the environment would have come to be pretty much the same for everybody. That would have been an extremely cold situation, temperatures maybe minus 40 degrees, if there was a gaping hole or a significant hole in the cabin. The depressurization, I think, would have been even more significant. The fact the co-pilot was slumped over and the pilot wasn‘t to be seen, perhaps on the floor, leads one to believe that there was a problem obviously with oxygen supply.

With regard to the coroner‘s statement that six people were alive, I‘m puzzled by that. The only way in which you can ascertain life in that kind of a situation would be to find evidence of a vital reaction, that is, the body‘s defense mechanisms. And they don‘t kick in for some minutes. The other way to find out whether someone was alive is to detect carbon monoxide. If there was a fire after the plane landed, and if the people were alive, and they kept breathing, even if unconscious, then there would have been CO.

So—but for six people to have been alive, and 115 people to have died, that seems a bit incredulous."

Here's the complete excerpt »

August 17, 2006 | Permalink

Homepage
Welcome
About Cyril Wecht
Medical-legal Services
Wecht Institute
In the Media
Forensic Science
Books
Web Journal

FEATURES

A Note to Funeral Home Directors

Send an consultation request to inquire Dr. Wecht's availability for medical-legal consulting services.

Select the font size which suits you: small or large.