Officials suspect the Learjet suffered from a pressurization problem because military planes sent up to look at the plane found the windows frosted over. Waldock says it's unlikely that a window or door blowout caused the depressurization, because that would have made the plane unflyable. More likely is that there was some sort of a leak, perhaps because a valve blew out or a seal broke, Ogle says. Still, Waldock points out, there may have not only been a problem that caused the depressurization, but there may have been a failure in the plane's warning system that prevented the pilots from donning their oxygen masks in time. Frequent fliers, though, need not worry about this happening on a commercial airline, he says.
Experts say their warning systems are even more sophisticated.
In the few times that cabins have depressurized on commercial flights, the pilots and passengers were able to put on their oxygen masks in plenty of time. Mysterious crash kills golfer Payne Stewart. Share your thoughts. ABC News Internet Ventures. Click here for Terms of Use and Privacy Policy applicable to this site.