Posted on 12/22/2007 4:22:51 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
TAIPEI — A China Airlines passenger jet earlier this month turned back mid-flight shortly after take-off from Taiwan after a cabin door malfunction at an altitude of 3,000 meters, local media reported Friday. Passengers on Flight CI008 panicked after a "swishing" sound emanated from the slightly ajar door, whose handle had malfunctioned, prompting the pilots to jettison fuel and turn back to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the reports said.
Nobody was hurt, and the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400 landed without incident, which occurred Dec 8, said Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration. The problem emerged five minutes into the flight as passengers and cabin crew became alarmed at what appeared to be an unlocked lever on the cabin door and sounds of escaping air pressure.
The CAA's initial findings point to possibilities that include the door being affected by jarring or banging of the jet in the process of taking off, and ground crew failing to fully secure the door. A door suddenly opening in a pressurized cabin at a high altitude could cause passengers to get sucked out of the cabin and the jet to crash.
It’s a Taiwanese carrier.
So, no one could go outside and push it shut?
The "swishing" was because this was one of those "gay" flights where anything goes. The "sucking sound" was due to... oh nevermind...
Somebody stepped outside for a smoke?
Ha ha. Actually, of course, the doors open INWARD by design, so that the higher internal pressure of the cabin tends to keep the door shut. It must have gotten wedged or caught on something during closing.
The popular misconception of a door "suddenly opening at high altitude" is simply wrong. The door would have to fail utterly, not just "open", against internal pressure.
I love their Red carpet lounge. Free beer and liquor.
Thats to get you drunk so you will not mind the door opening mid flight.
That happens occasionally - DC 10 cargo doors, eg.
China Airlines has an abysmal safety record.I flew them once....*before* I learned of this.
That’s why I never sit near an emergency exit. I’m one of those who is always pushing on exit doors that are clearly marked “Pull.”
ROTFLMAO.....
You were in every store in front of me today weren’t you? ;-)
(Pardon my ignorance pls.) Is the cargo compartment of a DC-10 pressurized, like the passenger cabin? If not, then the argument I gave above doesn't apply.
They were just disembarking a couple counter-revolutionaries. It saves them the trouble of billing the next of kin for the price of a bullet.
OK-I know. They’re Nationalist Chinese. I just couldn’t resist.
Oh, yes. Very much so. The floor on a passanger air liner cannot withstand pressure, so the entire tube is pressurized to the limits of the pressure bubble (space, not psi).
So if you lose a lower deck door, the plane is going down.
You couldn’t pay me to get on a China Airlines flight.
I would assume they were below 12,000ft, or else we’d be looking at crash pictures now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.