Originally Posted by
RobertS975
If both pilots became disabled, and unable to respond to calls from the cabin crew, would the cabin crew have any means to open the inviolate cockpit door?
Reason I ask is perhaps one pilot disabled the other to carry out some plot, but before that pilot either died or became unconscious, he retaliated in some fashion to disable the other pilot.
Now in this scenario, we have two disabled or dead pilots behind a locked cockpit door, the plane on autopilot until it flames out 8 hours later.
Yes, there is a procedure that allows cabin crew to enter if both pilots are disabled. One possible scenario is that in addition to the pilots, the cabin crew and passengers were also disabled.
EDIT:
To "Heli-phile" (who was concerned about my post but won't take PM's)
This information is just common sense. There would have to be a way for the cabin crew to access the flight deck in case of an emergency. And there would also have to be a way for the pilots to keep people out if needed. This basic information is already available online for anyone who cares to look for it.
This procedure varies with each airline and of course I would never describe the exact procedure at my airline.
SKYbrary - Flight Deck Security
Emergency Flight Deck Access. Most security systems have the facility for emergency access to the flight deck; such systems have safeguards built in to allow the flight crew to prevent access, for example by building in delays to the door opening such that the flight crew, if not incapcitated, can overide the lock release.