Pistole's supporters believe the rules should be more passenger-friendly and focus on bombs and other threats that can be hard to detect and be smuggled aboard the passenger cabin or in cargo.

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During cabin pressurisation tests, one of the jet's cargo doors blew open and a large section of the cabin floor collapsed.

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Yet in 1972, an American Airlines DC-10 suffered a sudden loss of cabin pressure at 12, 000ft and part of the cabin floor collapsed into the cargo hold.

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The A400M fuselage has been designed with a spacious cabin, making it suitable for the transport of bulky cargo like helicopters, heavy vehicles, missile batteries and light vehicles placed side by side.

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Experts from the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been investigating the accident, suspect that a cargo of more than 100 oxygen generators -- which provide oxygen in case of a cabin emergency -- contributed to the fire.

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Musicians allowed to bring smaller instruments into the cabin, while there must be clear terms and conditions for transporting larger instruments in the cargo hold.

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