UA 320 diverted to DEN after pax tries to open door
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As SLF with a wife who would rather walk out of the terminal than fly EXT to TFS I agree with ChewyThe Wookie if the "missus" read the report regarding the Denver flight she woud be scares out of the sky !!
And so the Asso(le)ciated Press refuses to publish, in the same article, the fairly well-known fact that with pressurization, the doors are sealed very tightly?
Last edited by Ignition Override; 25th Apr 2006 at 00:27.
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You know, some of you folks need to bone up on reading comprehension. The passenger did not say "If those Secret Servicemen didn't stop him, we would all be dead", but rather "if he got the door open".
I'm inclined to believe her. What chain of circumstances would be required to get the door open on a transcontinental flight over the Rockies?
Obviously, the limiting factor is the pressure differential preventing the opening of the door. So the pressure differential isn't that great. Yet masks indicating dangerously low cabin pressure have not dropped. The options are:
A) Aircraft is at cruising altitude, depressurized, with no masks or other indication. Cause: most likely massive structural failure. Result: "We are all dead"
B) Aircraft is at cruising altitude, and outside pressure is mysteriously equal to cabin pressure. Cause: Something really evil in the environment, undoubtedly lethal to those who live on the surface. Result: "We are all dead"
C) Aircraft is actually cruising depressurized at 8000 feet across Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Result: "We are all dead".
So in fact, this witness was being truthful, honest and philosophical.
Oh yeah, and an aviation story involving the president, secret service agents who "conveniently" were nearby, and an apparent lunatic being subdued. The conspiracy theory wackos are gonna go to town on this one.
I'm inclined to believe her. What chain of circumstances would be required to get the door open on a transcontinental flight over the Rockies?
Obviously, the limiting factor is the pressure differential preventing the opening of the door. So the pressure differential isn't that great. Yet masks indicating dangerously low cabin pressure have not dropped. The options are:
A) Aircraft is at cruising altitude, depressurized, with no masks or other indication. Cause: most likely massive structural failure. Result: "We are all dead"
B) Aircraft is at cruising altitude, and outside pressure is mysteriously equal to cabin pressure. Cause: Something really evil in the environment, undoubtedly lethal to those who live on the surface. Result: "We are all dead"
C) Aircraft is actually cruising depressurized at 8000 feet across Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Result: "We are all dead".
So in fact, this witness was being truthful, honest and philosophical.
Oh yeah, and an aviation story involving the president, secret service agents who "conveniently" were nearby, and an apparent lunatic being subdued. The conspiracy theory wackos are gonna go to town on this one.
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You know, some of you folks need to bone up on reading comprehension.
Even in the in the unlikely event that the door could be unlocked, and the cabin depressurized, nobody is going to die. It is also unlikely that the door could be opened inflight, even if the diff pressure was zero, as most doors open outwards and forwards. Opening a door against the airflow at a couple of hundred knots, or maybe even three, is not for weak.
There is a lot of baloney being spoken here.
Originally Posted by Techman
It is obvious what she meant. It is also obvious that she knows nothing about aircraft. Do you?
Even in the in the unlikely event that the door could be unlocked, and the cabin depressurized, nobody is going to die. It is also unlikely that the door could be opened inflight, even if the diff pressure was zero, as most doors open outwards and forwards. Opening a door against the airflow at a couple of hundred knots, or maybe even three, is not for weak.
There is a lot of baloney being spoken here.
Even in the in the unlikely event that the door could be unlocked, and the cabin depressurized, nobody is going to die. It is also unlikely that the door could be opened inflight, even if the diff pressure was zero, as most doors open outwards and forwards. Opening a door against the airflow at a couple of hundred knots, or maybe even three, is not for weak.
There is a lot of baloney being spoken here.
Regardless of whether the door can be opened at altitude, wouldn't you be a little scared to share the same confined quarters with someone who was crazy enough to try it? (And I assume they weren't wearing a parachute or trying to step outside to have a smoke.)
Too mean to buy a long personal title
Originally Posted by Nardi Riviera
Any modern a/c have plug-in doors, thus you cannot open them even if you're Superman.
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Doesn't the Aloha 'convertible' incident demonstrate pretty clearly that sudden decompression doesn't equal everyone dies? Not good news for those near where the pressure leaves and not strapped in, of course.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
Originally Posted by GlueBall
Globaliser:..yes, the doors can be opened while taxiing as the fuselage is unpressurized on the ground.
Warning Toxic!
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Disgusted of Tunbridge
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The 747 UD door opens out and up. It is not plug type. If the warning idicates that the lock has not made, a cabin crew member is required to guard it up to about 3psi when it will become immovable.
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F 16's
The crew were none to happy with the fighter escort...All they did was say they were diverting to DEN due to unruly PAX... No emergency etc...
Welcome to the new George Bush B.S.
Welcome to the new George Bush B.S.
"yes, the doors can be opened while taxiing as the fuselage is unpressurized on the ground"
The A320 doesn't pre-pressurize on the ground like many other aircraft?
The A320 doesn't pre-pressurize on the ground like many other aircraft?
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"and then claimed to have a bomb forcing the emergency landing in Denver."
"Kelso said authorities searched the aircraft for explosives and re-screened luggage as well as the passengers before they were allowed to re-board the plane, which left for its original destination at about 7:30 p.m."
The diversion of the plane seemed to be for a reason more than a pax trying to open a door.
"Kelso said authorities searched the aircraft for explosives and re-screened luggage as well as the passengers before they were allowed to re-board the plane, which left for its original destination at about 7:30 p.m."
The diversion of the plane seemed to be for a reason more than a pax trying to open a door.
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As a pup I flew C141s with the USAF. The 141 had plug doors all around except for the number 2 escape hatch which is on the top of the aircraft--it's the first one in the cargo compartment. The reason it isn't a plug is so that it can be opened from the flight deck if you need to get rid of something nasty that leaked out of something in the cargo and got into the air. Just decompress the aircraft.
One day while in the middle of crossing the pond I was chatting with a salty old flight engineer who happened to be with us that day. We were on the flight deck and I asked him about the number 1 hatch (plug type on the roof of the flight deck). I asked him, "if I turned that handle on the number 1 hatch and pulled on the hand-holds, do you think I could get it open here at altitude?" He said, "Impossible.This aircraft is pressurized at (as I recall, but it's been a long time) 8:1. If you turned the handle and pulled on the handholds, you'd pull the handholds off before you got anywhere close to getting the hatch open." I said, "That's amazing! I'm going to try it!" He said, "Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea of what would happened if you opened that thing?"
Humans. What we fear can so easily override what we know. I laugh every time I think about that conversation.
Dave
One day while in the middle of crossing the pond I was chatting with a salty old flight engineer who happened to be with us that day. We were on the flight deck and I asked him about the number 1 hatch (plug type on the roof of the flight deck). I asked him, "if I turned that handle on the number 1 hatch and pulled on the hand-holds, do you think I could get it open here at altitude?" He said, "Impossible.This aircraft is pressurized at (as I recall, but it's been a long time) 8:1. If you turned the handle and pulled on the handholds, you'd pull the handholds off before you got anywhere close to getting the hatch open." I said, "That's amazing! I'm going to try it!" He said, "Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea of what would happened if you opened that thing?"
Humans. What we fear can so easily override what we know. I laugh every time I think about that conversation.
Dave
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Back in the mid 1970's, I was a flight engineer on the B727. Flight attendant comes up and asks me to go back and talk to the lady at the overwing exit while we are still at the gate. As I walk back I see that she has removed the overwing exit door and is smoking a cigarette. Chuckling, I ask her why she opened the door, and she responds that the smoke was getting in her eyes and this is what she does in her car. After putting the door back in (with someone on the outside to lift that little step) I explain why we can't do that.
Halfway to our destination the flight attendant once again comes up and asks me to go talk with the lady at the overwing exit. Now this was funny, she has a hold of that exit with both hands and with one leg braced against the wall of the aircraft and is pulling for all her might. I once again explained the implications but I really think she had a few nuts loose and it really didn't matter what anyone said. I did have her moved to a non overwing exit seat for the landing just in case the urge for another cigarette overcame her on the taxi in.
Halfway to our destination the flight attendant once again comes up and asks me to go talk with the lady at the overwing exit. Now this was funny, she has a hold of that exit with both hands and with one leg braced against the wall of the aircraft and is pulling for all her might. I once again explained the implications but I really think she had a few nuts loose and it really didn't matter what anyone said. I did have her moved to a non overwing exit seat for the landing just in case the urge for another cigarette overcame her on the taxi in.