Reuters: Asiana passenger reportedly opens A321 emergency exit during approach

[Noxegon]

Genuinely intrigued why the gender of passengers was important in the cry for help. Culture I guess?

[Max Angle]

appears they nearly had an emergency slide deployment too.

I think the slide deployed (the door would have been armed) and was ripped off by the airflow, looks like the remains hanging out of the slide housing.

[albatross]

Originally Posted by Max Angle

I think the slide deployed (the door would have been armed) and was ripped off by the airflow, looks like the remains hanging out of the slide housing.

Another site states that the slide did deploy and was torn off by the airflow…I wonder where it ended up. I edited my post to reflect this.

[Bksmithca]

Originally Posted by albatross

Another site states that the slide did deploy and was torn off by the airflow…I wonder where it ended up. I edited my post to reflect this.

According to the article they were at 200 ft so suspect within 1/2 mile of the end of the runway. I'd start looking about a mile back of the runway unless there were winds

[rock-the-boat]

Originally Posted by Noxegon

Genuinely intrigued why the gender of passengers was important in the cry for help. Culture I guess?

Its not cultural, but factual reporting, something no longer tolerated in the west, fortunately in the Far East facts are still taken at face value and not manipulated to provide fertiliser for idiotic ideology.

[SkiFan]

Originally Posted by albatross

Another site states that the slide did deploy and was torn off by the airflow…I wonder where it ended up.

Fortunately not wrapped around the left side elevator which might have resulted in an even more exciting situation.

[pilotmike]

Originally Posted by Noxegon

Genuinely intrigued why the gender of passengers was important in the cry for help. Culture I guess?

Because in these politically correct, woke days, if females were asked to touch a man's legs without his consent, it could lead to claims of molestation. Always safer to specifically ask for gender-neutral, non-binary persons, to avoid any sort of trouble in the air!

[Mr Good Cat]

Maybe it was part of a task on Squid Game.

[porterpat]

Spot on!!

[etrang]

It has always been claimed that opening a door in-flight, even when the cabin was not pressurized, was impossible because of the airflow.
It seems that the combined wisdom of Pprune was wrong.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by etrang

It has always been claimed that opening a door in-flight, even when the cabin was not pressurized, was impossible because of the airflow.
It seems that the combined wisdom of Pprune was wrong.

There are indeed many posts about opening doors in flight, but a quick search reveals that almost all of them concern GA types, not airliners.

Where are all the posts that you are referring to?

[HOVIS]

AFAIK there are no door flt locks on the Airbus 320 series CEO. It is called a plug door because when it is shut the differential pressure pushes the lugs on the door against corresponding lugs on the airframe. On descent and approach the differential pressure equalises with ambient pressure to allow the doors to be opened in the event of an emergency.
I'm still impressed that the door assist system was able to open the door against the airflow though.
Could have been a whole lot worse if the slide had ended up wrapped around the tail section.

[etrang]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

There are indeed many posts about opening doors in flight, but a quick search reveals that almost all of them concern GA types, not airliners.

Where are all the posts that you are referring to?

Every time there's an event where a passenger attempts to open a door in flight, many ppruners jump up to say it's impossible.
Try looking in the Pax and SLF forum. Even in this thread people have said it should be impossible, and if there wasn't video evidence
i'm sure they would be claiming it didn't happen.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by albatross

Another site states that the slide did deploy and was torn off by the airflow…I wonder where it ended up. I edited my post to reflect this.

Best photo I've seen (source: BBC) showing the remains of the slide:



If I'm not mistaken, the door looks a bit skewed compared to its normal open position, suggesting something got a bit bent in the process ...

[Jonty]

Originally Posted by etrang

Every time there's an event where a passenger attempts to open a door in flight, many ppruners jump up to say it's impossible.
Try looking in the Pax and SLF forum. Even in this thread people have said it should be impossible, and if there wasn't video evidence
i'm sure they would be claiming it didn't happen.

There’s a few things to be cleared up here.

it’s impossible to open a door against a fully pressurised cabin. So can a cabin door be opened inflight? Yes, but only in very specific circumstances. In normal cruise flight, at cruise altitude, it’s impossible.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Jonty

it’s impossible to open a door against a fully pressurised cabin. So can a cabin door be opened inflight? Yes, but only in very specific circumstances. In normal cruise flight, at cruise altitude, it’s impossible.

It would be more accurate to say that it's impossible to open a door that initially moves inwards against a fully pressurised cabin, for obvious reasons.

Doors like those on narrow-body Airbuses, that move upwards and then outwards, are subject to different considerations. It may be that cruise diff pressure is sufficient to prevent the upwards movement of the door, but I wouldn't want to bet on that. Nor, presumably, would Asiana.

[etrang]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

It would be more accurate to say that it's impossible to open a door that initially moves inwards against a fully pressurised cabin, for obvious reasons.

Doors like those on narrow-body Airbuses, that move upwards and then outwards, are subject to different considerations. It may be that cruise diff pressure is sufficient to prevent the upwards movement of the door, but I wouldn't want to bet on that. Nor, presumably, would Asiana.

This comment is from this very thread, not far above yours.

"Imagine trying to open a car door at 100mph...impossible. Now try opening a door 2 x the size and weight at nearly 200mph. Also impossible unless the door opens backwards"

[Jonty]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

It would be more accurate to say that it's impossible to open a door that initially moves inwards against a fully pressurised cabin, for obvious reasons.

Doors like those on narrow-body Airbuses, that move upwards and then outwards, are subject to different considerations. It may be that cruise diff pressure is sufficient to prevent the upwards movement of the door, but I wouldn't want to bet on that. Nor, presumably, would Asiana.

From what I understand, there’s a whole section of door at the top that folds inwards (but not by much) this allows the door to move upwards and over the door stops, then out. So the pressurisation should hold the door against the stops, and not allow the panel at the top to move inwards. I have to admit I haven’t tried it, but I bet it’s bloody difficult/impossible to do. Otherwise there’s a small leaver between you and an enormous drop! And I can’t see that being allowed by the authorities.

[Jonty]

Originally Posted by etrang

This comment is from this very thread, not far above yours.

"Imagine trying to open a car door at 100mph...impossible. Now try opening a door 2 x the size and weight at nearly 200mph. Also impossible unless the door opens backwards"

I’m going to point out that the 200mph comment makes no sense. This isn’t a car door, it has very powerful power assist. Its cross section against the airflow is quite small, and where this door is, is just behind the wing, so is aerodynamically blanked anyway.

[EddyCurr]

Originally Posted by HOVIS

I'm still impressed that the door assist system was able to open the door against the airflow though.

Me too. That the door wasn't just ajar, but seemingly fully open in the video got my attention.

A crosswind on approach? Perhaps a crab into the wind on final changed laminar flow in the vicinity of LD3 in a manner that made the door fully open more easily than might otherwise have been the case?