What do you know? Macs DO crash!
Has your computer ever crashed? No, I mean REALLY crashed? Like from 10,000 feet? Well, here’s the story of a Mac that did and lived to tell the tale.
Above: Oh don’t worry, that will buff right out.
When a Turkish Airways Flight crashed in Amsterdam earlier this year, killing nine people and injuring 121 others, there was one survivor that makes a pretty convincing case for unibody Airline construction: Passenger Sefer Baris’ MacBook Air.
Sefer’s friend Bulent tells us:
“He is working for documentary project in Turkey. A couple years ago he didn’t like Apple, but when he has seen my MacBook, last year he bought this MacBook Air. He is now an appleboy 🙂
He was sitting on the chair in the front [of the airplane]. Seat number seven. (3-4 chairs from the business class). He has his MacBook Air with him, he was watching a movie. When the plane began to land, he closed his MacBook Air, and put it in the skin. A couple of minutes [later] there was the crash.”
Well, it might not win any awards for looks, but hey, it still boots, and odds are without the MacBook Air’s unibody construction the hard drive would be toast. I’m sure that with around $2000 worth of Apple Care service it will be back on its brushed aluminum feet again. (Incidentally, Sefer’s iPhone came through the crash unscathed).
As for Sefer, Bulent tells us he too is now up and about despite suffering some pretty massive injuries himself.
“He was lucky, because he is still alive. He has a broken neck. After a couple of operations in Utrecht Military Medical Hospital in Utrecht he is now fine, he can walk, he can sit can go to the toilet etc.”
Hmm… that last little bit might border on sharing too much, but thanks for sharing the story and pics, Bulent!
Above: Hmm… from certain angles, it still looks OK, kind of like Paris Hilton.
“(^_^)” – I got my wings!
There was really nothing else I could say… (;º-º)
Even the broken lcd pattern looks stylish on a mac =P
I want that effect as my wallpaper now 😀
If it “still works,” he can probably plug in an external monitor and a usb keyboard and use it as a desktop.
New Mac ad “It’s runs so reliably it takes a plane to crash a Mac”
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macheadtrip@yahoo.com
Call up Apple PR!! He can probably get something for this!
At the hospital with his Mac he can look in the mirror and say, “Look! We’re Twins! I broke my neck, you broke your face! I’ll heal with time, you’ll heal with Apple Care -Hurray!”
Then they frolic off into the sunset, best friends 4ever singing, “Once you go Mac, you don’t go back, you break your neck and survive a crash, unibody Macs are amazing things, they’re not just bling, come one let’s sing! Once you go Mac, you learn the facts, you won’t go back, you’ve learned the knack!”
yeesh i would sell that thing immediately as a headless mac. it would only remind of the trauma of the crash and you can technically get a decent amount for a broken machine on eBay.
I want to see a pic of a different laptop off the crash. Preferably Dell or Gateway. (an Acer would be fine too… 😛
On the other hand, if this story gets enough press, Apple might get wind of it and offer up a new one. (happened before)
15″ Titanium PowerBook of mine survived (with a broken DVD drive slot) flying about 8′ onto tarmac landing on one corner… with a bit of duct tape it ran for another 2 years!! Wouldn’t have imagined any of the other company Dells/Acers at the time would have still been in one piece! Got a nice shiny new 17″ PowerBook from insurance…
that may be the single most depressing picture that i see all week :'(
The plane or the mac?
Wow! That is a pretty amazing photo – glad to hear Sefer is recovering now too.
That’s why I’m proud and confident of my macs. Macs are likes Filipinos, you can put them in any ordeal and emerge as survivors almost unscathed. But I still put protection in my macs though. Macs are really made of high quality HARDwares…
The MacBook Air is not unibody (machined) construction.
I like to add my admiration for the plain manufacturer. And the pilot. And cool technology that both give us the chance to fly, then crash and in the end survive – with our favorite music on the laptop still intact. Hurray!
This is one of the most ridiculous articles I have read in a long time. People die in a crash and you guys get a hard on, because of some substitutable device.
Go get yourself a live !!!
“…$2000 worth of AppleCare”?
Buy a new MacBook Air or a new previous generation model for less.
This is serious bad taste…. People died in that accident and all you care about is the computer??? For me is utter nonsense.
Mr_Y
Italy
Ha! I get it . . . MacBook Air.
I get the point of the article but it leaves an odd flavor in my mouth.
È un Mac
oooppsss
i’m italian
traslate
It’s a Mac
“Call Apple PR”? Do you really think Apple will use a deadly accident to promote their MacBooks? Some people seem to forget this accident was a tragedy. Nine people died, many others have severe injuries (with lifelong consequences), and all of them had a traumatic experience.
Hey Flamers,
Doc never said that the crash wasn’t a tragic event. He only mentions the fact that the MacBook Air surviving the crash is nothing short of amazing. And if Sefer is in good enough spirits to have his story shared about his experience (and his MacBook Air) then I wouldn’t consider this to be in too bad of taste. It is Macenstein after all-you can never predict what he’s gonna post.
Is that the virgin Mary making her appearance in the broken LCD screen?
I think putting an article about a deadly accident in the category ‘awesomeness’, is bad taste, or at least inconsiderate.
@ The_Steve,
Yeah, it is.
– The Doc
Personally, I’d have thought something named MacBook Air would have landed a liitle more gracefully.
Flying is easy; it’s landing that’s hard.
“Hmm… from certain angles, it still looks OK, kind of like Paris Hilton.”
HAHAHAHHAHAHAH I laughed so much for this 😀
You made my day again Doc 😀
P.S: I’m Turkish too……if anybody even cares about it……..which I don’t think anyone does.
P.P.S: Yes, the crash is tragic, I only laughed at what Doc said about the MacBook, please do not flame me with comments saying that ‘I’m rude’ or something like that….
Interesting!
I was flying home the other day and QANTAS managed to bash in the corner of my MBP. The optical drive is stuffed (although it’s still working – I’m on it now). I’m pretty confident they’re gonna try to claim no liability because it’s a ‘fragile good’ but clearly, Macs ARE NOT fragile (listening QANTAS?)!
The damn thing was in ‘premium hand luggage’ which sounds like it would involve a degree of care, but I’m pretty sure it was dropped from a significant height. By the way, if anyone can get me technical data on what it takes to bash in the corner of a 2007 MBP (which you would think is a structural strong point) can they help me out? I’m trying to compile as much evidence as possible for my claim.
Too bad the whole plane wasn’t made by Apple. If it was, I’m sure it wouldn’t have even crashed. Still, the thought of a machine like the Air surviving after such an accident is amazing — it’s so thin to begin with!
Good wishes to those involved or had loved ones in the crash.
jesus christ typical apple freaks…nine people died but at least the mac survived.
heres a thought lads the computer survived cos of the position it was in or where it was stored when the crash happened. its pure chance that it survived if the computer ran windows or linux or was made by ibm or hp it doesnt matter it would of survived too.
its ridiculous to say that it survived cos its a mac seriously get over the apple obsession and put it back in your pants
According to Turkish airlines statement, the initial payments that are available immediately would be 50,000 Euro for the families of those killed in the crash. Payments of 10,000 Euro were set for those who were hospitalised for more than three days and 5,000 Euro to all other surviving passengers.
just by a new one 😉
that’s not the virgin mary, that’s a jawa.
Come on guys, mac users are like a church or a secte now.
So stop saying stupid things like “oh my mac book air crash from 10 000 feet” . No laptops will survive from 10 000 feet.
So stay in the real life. The plane was landing when it crashed.
Now, if you go to laptops, i mean laptops who everybody uses in this world, thinkpads from Lenovo/IBM can survive from a lot of real crash tests, for example.