airbus doors
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airbus doors
Have a question about airbus doors. if an exit door is armed and opened whilst armed, will the chute deploy? What are the ins and outs of the arming procedure and any fail safes that are in place?
I only know about the A300 but I think the later ones have similar operation.
If the door is opened from outside with the slide armed the mechanical linkage in the door will dis-arm the slide so there is no chance of the slide deploying.
However it is normally the cabin crew who open the door and if they have not dis-armed it, the slide will deploy and this is where the danger lies. It is very rare and procedures should prevent it happening, but I've seen it twice in my career.
Hope this helps.
If the door is opened from outside with the slide armed the mechanical linkage in the door will dis-arm the slide so there is no chance of the slide deploying.
However it is normally the cabin crew who open the door and if they have not dis-armed it, the slide will deploy and this is where the danger lies. It is very rare and procedures should prevent it happening, but I've seen it twice in my career.
Hope this helps.
Have a question about airbus doors. if an exit door is armed and opened whilst armed, will the chute deploy?
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That's exactly my question. Had an issue on a flight and the crew are saying the door was opened by ground staff while the door was armed, the ground staff are saying the crew opened the door. He said she said.
If they are saying the door was opened by ground staff. Was that from the outside? If so, and the chute deployed then there is either a fault with the door mechanism or someone is telling porkies.
If it was opened from the inside then it is the responsibility of the individual opening the door to check it is disarmed.
That individual has to be appropriately trained and authorised to do so. If not then they shouldn't have been opening the door.
Some airlines do not allow ground staff to open doors (from the inside) if cabin crew are on board. An attempt to avoid the scenario you have described.
If it was opened from the inside then it is the responsibility of the individual opening the door to check it is disarmed.
That individual has to be appropriately trained and authorised to do so. If not then they shouldn't have been opening the door.
Some airlines do not allow ground staff to open doors (from the inside) if cabin crew are on board. An attempt to avoid the scenario you have described.
Please let me get this straight If an (Airbus) door is armed and opened from the outside, the chute won't deploy. However if it is armed and opened from the inside it will.
Are all aeroplanes with chutes the same ?
Are all aeroplanes with chutes the same ?
Basically yes for all modern airliners, but some of the older types like the BAC 1-11, DC-8, etc. had the slide armed by clipping a hook in a fitting on the floor. This had to be un-hooked to dis-arm the slide and could not be done from outside. So these slides would deploy if the door was opened from outside and the hook was still attached..
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Two things happen if a door is opened from the inside while it is armed:
1) The door opening will be power assisted.
2) The slide will inflate.
For this purpose there is a white warning light next to the door window. Cabin crew before opening the door must check that neither the white (door armed) nor the red light (residual cabin pressure) are illuminated.
1) The door opening will be power assisted.
2) The slide will inflate.
For this purpose there is a white warning light next to the door window. Cabin crew before opening the door must check that neither the white (door armed) nor the red light (residual cabin pressure) are illuminated.
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The main reason for the automatic disarming of the slide when opening the door from the outside, is to prevent the door assist from pushing the door open. It would be dangerous if it did as whoever was opening the door would very likely be pushed back and fall on their arse or down the steps.
The slide will not necessarily deploy as it needs to drop a certain distance to activate. If there are steps or an airbridge at the door the slide pack will just lay there undeployed.
The slide will not necessarily deploy as it needs to drop a certain distance to activate. If there are steps or an airbridge at the door the slide pack will just lay there undeployed.
Last edited by KBPsen; 12th Apr 2013 at 13:00.
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Basically yes for all modern airliners,
I believe Airbus doors automatically disarm themselves when the handle from the outside is lifted.
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757 and 767 will disarm if opened from outside.all airbuses disarm if opened from outside.its for the protection of emergency workers when attending an incident and have to open doors if crew inside are incapacitated in any way.This is the reason we were given when we did our type courses back in the early 80,s
As has been said, not all of them.
Beware!
Beware!
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The 737 slide is manually connected by a girt bar to two points on the floor. Of course it will not disarm if the door is opened from the outside. However if armed, the person arming it should place the red band across the window. If you are opening a 737 door from the outside, check that band is not across the window, and if it is, don't try to open it..
The 757 and Airbus doors will throw you out if inadvertantly fired.. Happened to a mechanic at a British MRO a couple of years ago, he was lucky to survive.
The 757 and Airbus doors will throw you out if inadvertantly fired.. Happened to a mechanic at a British MRO a couple of years ago, he was lucky to survive.
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I had heard an old story of a interior people working a A302 while pressurized and opening a door, supposedly it was blown off it's hinges and took the interior tech with it. Regardless never try to hold on to an airbus door if you accidentally blow it, you will not stop it and you will probably go for a ride, it has happened.
Another reason why line techs should be allowed to carry knives, I knew of a guy who had several ribs broken on a 744, somehow during a slide change the slide discharged inside the aircraft pinning him against a galley until the guy working with him could slash enough air out of the slide with a leatherman.
Another reason why line techs should be allowed to carry knives, I knew of a guy who had several ribs broken on a 744, somehow during a slide change the slide discharged inside the aircraft pinning him against a galley until the guy working with him could slash enough air out of the slide with a leatherman.
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Alber, from that incident I am led to believe that the door assist bottle blew, but there was no slide fitted, so the door flew open much faster than would be usual?
Pretty nasty incident by all accounts, and it appears the MRO didn't learn the lesson very well having seen some of the H&S nightmares that the engineers were forced to accept
Pretty nasty incident by all accounts, and it appears the MRO didn't learn the lesson very well having seen some of the H&S nightmares that the engineers were forced to accept
Last edited by Kengineer-130; 21st Apr 2013 at 18:30.
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I suppose the initial question refers to Airbus doors so some of you guys have gone off in a different tangent & confused the matter when talking about different aircraft types like Boeing & so on.
Some of you are right & some of you are wrong in regards to your posted information in regards to this matter.
As we were all trained in our apprenticeship days never go by your memory, never assume anything & always refer to the manual.
It would be best to refer back to all Airbus aircraft type manuals for the correct answer to this question & in doing so the correct information can then be posted here for all of us to learn.
Door slides can be very dangerous & you dont want to be posting incorrect info hear that someone may go off with & possibly kill or injure themselves or somone else.
Not wanting to be a party pooper.
Chock Chucker.
Some of you are right & some of you are wrong in regards to your posted information in regards to this matter.
As we were all trained in our apprenticeship days never go by your memory, never assume anything & always refer to the manual.
It would be best to refer back to all Airbus aircraft type manuals for the correct answer to this question & in doing so the correct information can then be posted here for all of us to learn.
Door slides can be very dangerous & you dont want to be posting incorrect info hear that someone may go off with & possibly kill or injure themselves or somone else.
Not wanting to be a party pooper.
Chock Chucker.
Last edited by Chock Chucker; 22nd Apr 2013 at 03:51.