I recently took a flight with a northern low cost operator to palma de mallorca .on boarding i sat in the window seat row 8 seat f.once sat i noticed the inside of the outer window was full of condensation.we took off then just has we started climbing i noticed water and air bubbles on the inside of the outer window and what looked like a very very small crack in the bottom of the outer window .the little bubbles could be described like a paddling pool leasking air into water ,but it seemed to be going outwards .then the inside of the outer window froze over and got worse and worse till all i could see was a sheet of thick ice.i reported it to the stewardess the conversation went like this
stewardess, “oh thats normal”
me, “i think not”
her,”yes thay are designed to do that”
me,”well none of the other windows have done it “
with that the conversation finished but i did notice after she walked to the front of the plane she entered the cockpit .
i spent the remainder of the flight quite unerved.on leaving the aircraft the pilot was thanking people for flying i voiced my concerns to him his reply was “we have been informed of the problem and are going to have it checked once the aircraft is empty”
now here’s the thing was i right to point it out and be concerned .i am not sure if all the years of watching aircrash investigation had made me nevy
neil
By: steve rowell - 3rd September 2009 at 02:50
Don’t ever think that something unusual that you see is not worth querying. 99 times out of 100 it will be nothing to worry about. BUT…… it’s that one time out a hundred that counts!
Rgds Cking
As was the case with the Aloha 243 incident in 1988…According to the official NTSB report of the investigation… Gayle Yamamoto, a passenger, noticed a crack in the fuselage upon boarding the aircraft prior to the ill-fated flight but did not notify anyone. The crack was located aft of the front port side passenger door. The crack was probably due to metal fatigue related to the 89,090 compression and decompression cycles experienced in the short hop flights by Aloha
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By: FLYBYDONNI - 31st August 2009 at 09:26
thanks to every one of you [ except 1 ] who replied ,it answers the question and put my mind at ease
neil
By: Cking - 31st August 2009 at 01:32
Exactly right, Paul. Moisture does get between the window’s inner and outer layer. It condenses, freezes and looks crap.
Whilst there was no safety issue hear, there was good reason to inform the crew. They should have put the defect into the tech log and it should be looked at by the maintenance crew.
Don’t ever think that something unusual that you see is not worth querying. 99 times out of 100 it will be nothing to worry about. BUT…… it’s that one time out a hundred that counts! (Also all of these kind of defect keeps me and my mates in a job!)
I hate seeing this on an aircraft it just looks scruffy. It takes about twenty minutes to change a window seal but they never give us time to do it!
FLYBYDONNI Don’t worry you wasn’t in any danger
Rgds Cking
By: heslop01 - 31st August 2009 at 01:16
FLYBYDONNI –
At the end of the day, it’s probably what people have said plus the factor that the air at the altitude an aircraft goes to is cold.
I’ve flown over the atlantic with frozen ice over the windows and a freezing area around it if touched.
By: FLYBYDONNI - 30th August 2009 at 16:22
does the o p not give you a clue ???
neil
By: wawkrk - 30th August 2009 at 12:25
So where does scary flight come into it?
By: PMN - 30th August 2009 at 10:29
The outer pane of a passenger window has a small hole in it to allow the space between panes to equalize pressure in climbs and decents. Sometimes water makes it through the hole or in humid conditions condensation appears between the panes which freezes at altitude.
Pretty much already been said I think! 🙂
Paul
By: Whiskey Delta - 30th August 2009 at 04:21
The outer pane of a passenger window has a small hole in it to allow the space between panes to equalize pressure in climbs and decents. Sometimes water makes it through the hole or in humid conditions condensation appears between the panes which freezes at altitude.
By: old shape - 30th August 2009 at 01:21
Concur.
It just needs a wipe. So did your bum by the sound of it.
I flew on an ex Aeroflot Tupolev, it had been white emulsioned on the inside as a paint job.
The emergency door (I was sat next to) hissed until 10k feet then iced up around the inside edge. Now, I know it’s a plug door, It cannot blow out. But, one would expect that even a basic tyre-kicker maintenance programme would check seals. I was then more worried about what else had been missed. I was glad to swap aeroplane at Sofia and get on a 737.
By: HP81 - 30th August 2009 at 00:23
PMN is correct, if there is condensation between the panes it will almost certainly freeze at altitude. This of course spoils your view, but isn’t in its self hazardous.
You were right to bring it to the attention of the crew, it shouldn’t be too much of a job to remove the window panels dry the moisture & refit them, with a new seal if necessary.
By: PMN - 29th August 2009 at 21:00
You haven’t mentioned the Aircraft type or registration number or airline concerned.
A northern low cost operator can only really be one airline and two possible aircraft types! 🙂
Paul
By: nJayM - 29th August 2009 at 20:27
You haven’t mentioned the Aircraft type or registration number or airline concerned.
Was there an on board indicator telling passengers what crusing speed, altitude and outside temperature were ?
Jay
By: PMN - 29th August 2009 at 13:20
i understand that, but what worried me most was how it turned to thick ice that surely means some sort of leak has the air temp must have been same has the outside temp -60 or some thing like that
neil
I guess it’s possible moisture could get in between the layers of the external window and if that happens, it’s going to freeze. I’m not sure it’s anything to be overly worried about but perhaps someone with more knowledge than me (like C King if he’s around) could give us his opinion?
Paul
By: FLYBYDONNI - 29th August 2009 at 13:03
i understand that, but what worried me most was how it turned to thick ice that surely means some sort of leak has the air temp must have been same has the outside temp -60 or some thing like that
neil
By: PMN - 29th August 2009 at 12:51
As far as I’m aware the windows are usually almost double glazed, i.e. there are two layers to the actual external window but unlike double glazing, they’re not sealed. There’s usually a little air hole visible to equalise the pressure. I’ve seen bubbles bubbling away in various places around the window a good few times and it’s nothing to worry about, although it certainly is odd the first time you see it!
Paul
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August 29, 2009 at 12:40 pm