Posted on 01/23/2010 7:17:08 PM PST by SilvieWaldorfMD
Edited on 01/23/2010 7:59:39 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
A flight had to be diverted to Denver after a passenger allegedly tried to open an exterior door of a United jet while it was in flight Saturday afternoon, according to officials at Denver International Airport.
Can you actually get those open while in the air and the planes pressurized?
I’ve been feeling kinda’ ambivalent lately. Maybe I should take a flight or two and hope one of these yahoos is on board. It would make me feel alive.
Wasn’t there a CSI about such an incident?
Had the same thing happen to me 15 years ago, on a Continental flight from Tampa to Houston. At 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, a female passenger decided she wanted a little fresh air; so she stood up, went to the nearest exit and began pulling on the door. The cabin crew and some passengers pulled her away and sat on her until we landed.
Turned out that she was on some heavy-duty meds for a mental problem, but her prescription ran out while she was vacationing in Florida. Today, I can only imagine the reception that passenger would receive.
Thankfully, no. Their construction precludes this.
I thought they were supposed to have automatic latches so the door can only open when the plane is not flying. This is what passengers are told. Mischief???
Too bad they can’t waterboard him. I’m sure he’s with his court-provided attorney right now figuring how to sue the airline.
No doubt he was looking for a clean place to lay his prayer rug. I hope he wasn’t offended by the flight attendants.
>>Can you actually get those open while in the air and the planes pressurized?<<
They have something like explosive charges (not exactly) to overcome the pressure differences.
He was just looking for the roulette room.
Or the buffet.
No you cannot.
Lets see. About 8 psi. If the cabin door is 6ft by 3ft thats about 2600 square inches of surface area.
Thats about 20,000 lbs of force to open the door.
(this is all rough math btw)
If the guy was actually capable of opening the door, it would take an army to arrest and hold him.
I’m an ex-airline employee, wife still with a major carrier. The answer to your question is “NO”. The cabin doors cannot be opened if the A/C, that would be aircraft to the people in Rio Linda, is pressurized.
Your Welcome
Maybe Superman could. They are pressurized shut.
I usually ask for exit row for more legroom and to make sure no nuts get to the door.
Your Honor, my client that the bathroom door was stuck.
Ever tried opening a door on a vehicle traveling 75 miles/hour? (I haven’t - saw someone try at a lower speed once). But opening one on a jet flying hundreds of miles/hr? Wouldn’t happen.
Let’s take him back up to flight level 250, but this time without a planeload of passengers who might be at risk. Once he gets up there, he can open the door. Some kind flight attendants, who also happen to be Sumo Wrestlers, can help him deplane.
Someone pointed out that it takes tremendous force to open the door at altitude, and this may be the man’s motivation for his attempt. Just suppose that you were bored on a long flight, and your seatmate challenged your manhood and bet that you couldn’t open the door. You would demand satisfaction! So we can send the other passengers and crew up on another plane to witness his athletic prowess. They will cheer when he is successful.
And since he won’t be landing, at least not in the usual sense of the word, he’ll only have to pay a half fare for the flight.
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