differential pressure and opening the doors in a ditching
When I first viewed the airplane in the water from a long distance camera it appeared all the doors were closed. As it turned out, everybody had already made it out but at the time I wondered about the plug type doors and differential pressure.
Most jets on landing will automatically fully open the outflow valve/s. This to avoid differential pressure so the plug type doors can be opened. If the outflow valves automatically open during a water landing (they are on the the bottom of the aircraft) and water is rushing in through them as the plane is sinking under it's own weight, it seems to me that would create a slightly pressurized cabin. It logically follows the plug doors might be difficult or even impossible to open as the plane settles further and further into the water.
Or do the outflow doors close in a ditching of an A320?
If not, it follows that the longer crew waited to open the first door the more difficult it would be to open all the doors. This assumes they are all plug type doors. Would this be true?
Obviously that didn't happen here and the doors were opened immediately but I would be curious to know how that pressurization effect I just described would be avoided.
I haven't heard any description about the FA's and the job they did. The Captain is getting all the credit, but I bet they were instrumental in the successful outcome of this incident.
ps I just hate it when the news media refers to this as a crash - it was a successful, controlled ditching - not a "crash."