Originally posted by Deb in IA
I only watched it because I was sorting and folding 4 loads of laundry, and I needed something on TV . . .
My points:
1. I don't understand how the plane went down either. The story line was that a Federal Air Marshall recognized a man who was wanted by FBI -- I didn't catch exactly what for. He struggles with the man during the flight. He shoots the man in the leg, but the second bullet hits the back of what must be a motorized wheelchair, releasing sulfuric acid, which mixes with the fiber of the flooring, releasing a toxic gas that overhelms the pilots and the cabin. Pilots put plane on auto-pilot, but plane eventually comes down (as in the Payne Stewart scenario).
Why is there sulfuric acid in the back of a wheelchair???
2. What was Devon saying in French at the beginning of the show?
and finally,
3. Why was Jordan looking at a slide of live spermatozoa under the microscope when Macy walks back into the morgue???
I can explain where the sulfuric acid acid came from, but how it caused a problem is can't be explained.
Power wheelchair batteries
DO contain sulfuric acid and lead plates, but that's the only fact in the story.
They showed the bullet puncturing the battery and liquid sulfuric acid pouring out.
BUT, most power wheelchairs have
either dry cell or gel batteries. If the case around the battery were to get damaged, the material inside is either a dry powder or similar to Jello. So, it would not leak out.
Even if it was liquid sulfuric acid, it would damage the carpet, but I don't think it would release anything except irritating fumes (not deadly ones). To be deadly, you would need a lot more sulfuric acid than is in one battery and a lot smaller space than an airplane.
Actually, if you use toilet bowl cleaner or one of those chemical drain uncloggers, you have breathed sulfuric acid fumes (although quite dilute).
Power wheelchairs are not transported in the main cabin; they alway go in the hold. Gel or dry batteries can remain in the wheelchair (but they disconnect the battery cables). Any other kind of batteries are boxed up in a leakproof box.