Quote: Hugmonster
'nor on the side of the aircraft on which the fire is!'
In theory it is considered unwise to evacuate on the same side as an external fire. In practice there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration. The British Airtours disaster at Manchester clearly showed that exits on the same side as a fire should not be automatically disregarded. This theory delayed the use of the FWD port exit and no doubt cost lives. The only technically operable exit would have been the starboard overwing exit, which wasn't even controlled by c/c.
On 8 exit a/c such as B757/747/A330/A300, etc. the distance between the FWD/AFT doors and the engines is considerable. Although the tendency for fire/smoke to effect the rear doors is greater than the fwd doors, it is the crew member at the door on the day that should decide whether the exit is usable or not once the command to evac has been given.
Agree?