Can someone explain to me how a cabin pressure irregularity can cause a plane to plunge 30,000 feet? I mean, did the pilot observe the pressure problem and decide to descend to an altitude at which pressurization was unnecessary? If so, why would he “plunge” 30,000 feet? How quick exactly was this descent? The whole thing sounds sketchy. Planes have pressurization problems all the time without dramatic altitude loss.
Yes, the pilot did it following procedure. The plane did not plunge, but executed an expedited descent over about 8 minutes. This kind of maneuver is necessary to avoid hypoxia.
That makes more sense. I feel like an expedited descent over 8 minutes is not well-described in the article. When I read it, it sounded like an uncontrolled plunge. Thanks for the explanation.
I wonder if the pilot failed to tell everyone they’d be making a rapid descent in advance.