Wirt writes:

>Rather than flood the cabin with "sleepy gas", all that really needs to be
>done is to do the opposite: a rapid but controlled depressurization of the
>cabin, perhaps to an equivalent altitude of 20,000 feet, simultaneously
>overriding the automatic deployment of the oxygen masks. That would almost
>immediately render everyone in the cabin unconscious and easily controlled.

This is less attractive than it sounds. First, "almost immediately" isn't
really all that immediate. The time of useful consciousness at 20,000
feet is one to two minutes; that's enough time for someone to do a lot of
damage. Moreover, the time of useful consciousness doesn't mean time to
unconsciousness; it's just the time until higher brain functions start to
become unreliable.

Second, susceptibility to depressurization varies widely. A physically
fit individual, especially one who knows about the system and has taken
steps to prepare for the depressurization, can last many minutes or --
with suitable adaptation -- indefinitely. The same treatment, if extended
long enough to incapacitate a fit hijacker, would be deadly to someone
with breathing problems, and would almost certainly be teratogenic for
any pregnant women on board, at least during certain critical
developmental periods.

Given the likelihood that the hijacker's threats are either bluffs or
relatively simply counterable by fighting back, this cure could easily be
worse than the disease. It hands a powerful weapon to someone who simply
wants to cause damage, and it won't stop a truly determined and
well-prepared hijacker.

-- Bruce


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