Cockpit evacuation query
Cockpit evacuation query
Do pilots unlock the cockpit door in an emergency?
I've been watching some plane crash videos and it occurred to me that were I sitting in one of the front-most seats, the best evacuation option for me might be not the passenger door but the one the pilots use - out the cockpit window. Of course, nowadays the cockpit door is ordinarily locked. So is it part of the pilots' evacuation procedure to unlock that door?
I've been watching some plane crash videos and it occurred to me that were I sitting in one of the front-most seats, the best evacuation option for me might be not the passenger door but the one the pilots use - out the cockpit window. Of course, nowadays the cockpit door is ordinarily locked. So is it part of the pilots' evacuation procedure to unlock that door?
the best evacuation option for me might be not the passenger door but the one the pilots use - out the cockpit window
Anyhow and FWIW on the types I have flown the preferred escape route for the flight crew has been back into the passenger cabin and out of the nearest passenger door....the flight deck direct escape route (overhead hatch/window as appropriate) was only really there for use of the flight crew in the event the flight deck door got jammed shut.
Before getting to the cockpit door, you would have a main door exit equipped with an evacuation slide on either side of you. If you tried to evacuate through the flight deck and the pilots were incapacitated it would be very difficult to clamber over them as cockpits are usually very cramped. On the B737, the entrance would be blocked if the jump seat was in use.
The emergency briefing doesn't include flight deck specific information so you may not know where the exit is or how to open it. Clambering down a rope, especially if injured is less preferable to simply jumping into a slide.
Flight deck escape routes are there in case we can't get out through the cabin as exiting will take longer and be more difficult.
In an emergency the pilots will want to ensure all the passengers have got off first before leaving.
The emergency briefing doesn't include flight deck specific information so you may not know where the exit is or how to open it. Clambering down a rope, especially if injured is less preferable to simply jumping into a slide.
Flight deck escape routes are there in case we can't get out through the cabin as exiting will take longer and be more difficult.
In an emergency the pilots will want to ensure all the passengers have got off first before leaving.
^^^ I do however think it is safe to mention evac checklists., I don't think they give much away...
Anyhow for the OPs sake to reinforce what Metro man rightly said....there are all sorts of reasons not to head for the flight deck door as a pax..apart from stuffing the evac flow up. If your exit from 1 L/R is compromised then chances are exit from the flight deck is compromised as well, so why head in that direction? If nevertheless you do decide to try the flight deck door chances are you'll find a crewmember is trying to come the other way...
Anyhow for the OPs sake to reinforce what Metro man rightly said....there are all sorts of reasons not to head for the flight deck door as a pax..apart from stuffing the evac flow up. If your exit from 1 L/R is compromised then chances are exit from the flight deck is compromised as well, so why head in that direction? If nevertheless you do decide to try the flight deck door chances are you'll find a crewmember is trying to come the other way...
That was not the case on one flight I took recently. Those doors were behind me.
As Metro man rightly said "The emergency briefing doesn't include flight deck specific information so you may not know where the exit is or how to open it"...say you somehow got onto the flight deck....Do you know how to open the hatch and survive using the escape system on a 747?...Do you know which windows open on a 777 and how to actually operate them? Could you find the escape rope stowage quickly? ...I guess the likes of the A320 is different again, no doubt the 380 is different yet again?..Darned if I know the answer to the the last of those and as a passenger I certainly wouldn't head for the flight deck as option 1 for escape on an unfamiliar type, there is a risk of getting trapped.
It's great that you are thinking ahead, and maybe in the event of ultra "force majeure"...e.g. holes in aircraft, no way out behind you due flames/structure, etc, flight deck door off it's hinges then maybe the flight deck route might be the only way out, but otherwise don't try to freelance it or go off piste.....stick with the routes/slides as briefed...
Last edited by wiggy; 17th Sep 2017 at 13:17.
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With most aircraft I know the flight deck door can be opened without power from the inside. This means the possibility of opening the door by causing a short circuit or power failure on the cabin side of things is not possible. As a result, unlocking the flight deck door doesn't feature in emergency checklists.
Given a normal emergency, if such a thing exists, the captain is expected to deplane last via a rear passenger door and all other flight deck members are expected to zip off through a forward passenger door. But if that is not sensible or possible then you exit via sliding windows or an escape hatch.
Given a normal emergency, if such a thing exists, the captain is expected to deplane last via a rear passenger door and all other flight deck members are expected to zip off through a forward passenger door. But if that is not sensible or possible then you exit via sliding windows or an escape hatch.
