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02-19-2009, 12:23 AM | #1 |
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FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
http://wcbstv.com/local/jersey.city.metal.2.937877.html
The Federal Aviation Administration says a piece of hot metal that crashed through the roof of a Jersey City business did not come from an airplane. FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac says investigators examined the metal and determined it is made of cast iron, which is not used in airplanes. She says it's up to local authorities to determine where the object came from. Owner Al Smith was fork-lifting a sofa onto a wooden storage platform around 10 a.m. at his moving company when he heard a sound he thought was a bomb. A piece of warm metal the size of a brick came crashing through the roof just steps from where he was standing. It splintered a wooden beam and crashed into a shelf. Smith tells WCBS radio that no one was injured. He plans buy a lottery ticket, saying it's his lucky day. He says the metal is about the size of a brick and came crashing through the roof around 10 a.m. Officials at the scene also confirmed to WCBS radio that the metal was too hot to touch for about 30 minutes after crashing through the roof. |
02-19-2009, 12:32 AM | #2 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
Maybe there was some cast iron on one of those satellites, highly doubt it though, they wouldn't use something like that I don't think.
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02-19-2009, 01:14 AM | #3 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
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02-19-2009, 01:18 AM | #4 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
A similar thing happened to me back in the late 1960s. Only I know where the hot metal came from. We had an old car that was on its last legs. My wife had our good car and I was home on holiday and needed to get a part for the motor mower. I hopped in the old car and headed for the mower shop but I hadn't gone more that five miles when there was a loud rattling sound that built to a crescendo then there was a BANG and the car slowly spluttered to a stop.
A young kid by the roadside yelled, "Hey mister, this fell out of your car," he rushed back down the road and picked something up and said,"SHlT IT'S HOT!" A piston had parted company with the crankshaft and had succeeded in getting out of the motor through the side of the block. What the kid had picked up was part of the cast iron block. I didn't bother looking for the piston. |
02-19-2009, 01:01 PM | #5 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
Hi Dantheman62,
I don't think it was a peice from a real satelite. Why? Because to me it looks like it could have been forged. Best regards, Steve |
02-19-2009, 07:27 PM | #6 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
I didn't see a picture Steve, where did you see a picture? And I wouldn't think anyone in the space industry would use cast iron anyway, it's to easy to turn to rust. I mean after all, rust is iron oxide.
And Brinty, I've blown motors before and have seen plenty of blown motors in my time. That's why high performance motors usually have high strength connecting rods, and at least a 4 bolt main bearing cap if not a 6 bolt main bearing cap on the crank shaft at the end of the connecting rod, the piston is usually not the weak part, funny story though! |
02-19-2009, 10:41 PM | #7 | |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
Hi Dantheman2,
I was suprised by that reaction from you. looks like I caught you taking your eye off the ball. Sit down, think about it a little and as the penny drops really slowly you will feel your top lip curl with contempt. Best regards, Steve P.S. I thought it could have been 'forged' because it was hot iron. Quote:
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02-19-2009, 10:48 PM | #8 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
doh!!! Wow I'm really slipping here, zoom, right over my head! LOL! Ah the first sign of old age, the mind starts to go.
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02-20-2009, 01:21 AM | #9 |
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Re: FAA: Falling Metal Did Not Come From Airplane
Perhaps an alien was cooking in his spacecraft when he accidentally dropped his cast iron pan and it exited the spaceship, burning up before finally landing as the size of a brick.
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