# Explosives and Planes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715 "2000-11-10T22:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/1 "2000-11-10T22:42:13Z")
No, this really isnt about terrorism, but a question on plastic explosives and destructive potential. In chat we were talking and plastique came up. I wondered how much damage would a C-131 filled as full as it could (and still fly) with plastique do if flown over a city and detonated? (if that much wouldn’t go off at once, just pretend it would, please). I dont want to hear about the impracticality of this, i just want to know how much damage would an explosion from that much plastique cause. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/2 "2000-11-10T23:05:28Z")
Numerous tons of explosive going off at optimum altitude over a densly populated city ? Blimey I’m not playing monopoly against you if that’s your leisure time thinking!!! Hope you don’t have a gun licnecne 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/3 "2000-11-10T23:48:34Z")
Let’s assume you mean C-130. Payload is 45,000 lbs. C4 Plastic explosive’s TNT Equivalence is 118%. If my math is correct we’re looking at an explosion equal to 26.55 tons of TNT. Should make a pretty good thump 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/4 "2000-11-11T00:09:38Z")
Imagine all the car alarms going off… ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/5 "2000-11-11T00:43:53Z")
If it’s reasonably low it will flatten the cars. Look what happened in Oklahoma City with a much smaller ANfo bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/6 "2000-11-11T01:56:57Z")
You are a worrying person and you should consider take up an innocent hobby like basket weaving, goldfish keeping or something! Anyway, if you are looking to aim at a big city, I suppose that at least leaves Lockerbie out. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosives-and-planes/40715/7 "2000-11-11T03:18:34Z")
Gee, I speculate on how powerful a C-131 packed to capacity with plastique is, and i’m branded a nut! Have i not proven myself pretty grounded since i’ve been on the boards? 🙂 (i know, y’all are kidding)