Open Door Policy
May 31, 2023
LAST WEEK, a distraught passenger opened an emergency door aboard an Asian Airlines flight as it prepared to land on the Korean holiday island of Jeju. A dozen people were injured in the ensuing melee.
Numerous readers have sent unfriendly emails taking me to task for statements I’ve made in the past about the ability to open a door in flight. Specifically, we turn to chapter five in my book, where one beholds the following:
You cannot — I repeat, cannot — open the doors or emergency hatches of an airplane in flight. You can’t open them for the simple reason that cabin pressure won’t allow it. Think of an aircraft door as a drain plug, fixed in place by the interior pressure. Almost all aircraft exits open inward. Some retract upward into the ceiling; others swing outward; but they open inward first, and not even the most musclebound human will overcome the force holding them shut. At a typical cruising altitude, up to eight pounds of pressure are pushing against every square inch of interior fuselage. That’s over 1,100 pounds against each square foot of door.
Well, yes and no, the over-confidence of that first sentence being the main offense. What I describe is basically correct, but as a plane descends, the pressure differential lessens, eventually dropping to zero at the point of touchdown. When very close to the ground, the “weight” holding the doors shut may in fact be negligible enough to permit a door to open. In the case of Asiana, the Airbus A321 was at only 700 feet; just a minute or so from the runway.
The book further states…
Even at low altitudes, where cabin pressure levels are much less, a meager 2 p.s.i. differential is still more than anyone can displace — even after six cups of coffee and the aggravation that comes with sitting behind a shrieking baby. On the ground, the situation changes—as one would hope, with the possibility of an evacuation . During taxi, you will get the door to open. You will also activate the door’s emergency escape slide.
While the part about being on the ground is true, there’s a difference between low altitudes and very low altitudes. I should’ve made this clear. If my publisher is kind enough to move forward with a third edition, I’ll revise this entire Q&A.
What I was trying to do, a bit too eagerly, is dispel the idea of opening a door during cruise, creating the sort of disaster movie situation that people envision when this topic arises: the one of complete chaos, with people getting sucked through the hole. That can’t happen. What can happen, though, is what happened aboard Asiana.
Fortunately, the very ability to get the door open also means that nothing catastrophic will occur. It’ll be noisy and scary, and unsecured objects could get whipped around; but without any serious pressure differential, nobody’s getting sucked out.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash.
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22 Responses to “Open Door Policy”
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Or in simplest terms, it is like trying to open a door that opens from the inside inwards, by pulling it from the outside.
I was in the U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps. All of us were well aware you could open an airplane door in flight at 1,200 feet or below because we all jumped out of it. Many many times
@CHRIS,
I doubt they’d be able to open it any higher than a few thousand feet. And even then, what would be the point? An open door by itself isn’t going to hurt the aircraft (obviously the pilots would not continue to climb to less-breathable altitudes in such a condition). I suppose worst case scenario they could conceivably throw the door itself out of the opening and strike and damage a flight control surface, stabilizer or engine.
Apparently now Asiana is blocking the window seats next to the emergency exits and will no longer sell them? Seems like a bit of overkill if you ask me.
3 burly Highjackers throwing their power onto the levers of the door.
At what height can they OPEN THE PLANE DOOR of a COMMERCIAL JET LINER?
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And what can be the result.
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Your publication of an opinion CAN SAVE COUNTLESS LIVES.
T.I.A.
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We’re obviously talking worst case scenario, and not average worst case scenario.
If I remember correctly, D.B. Cooper ordered the pilots to descend to 10,000 feet and depressurize the plane, so the pressure differential was not a factor in opening the rear door in that particular instance.
UncleStu: “Perhaps you could explain how DB Cooper exited the plane. If I remember correctly, it was through a rear door. Were they designed that much differently?”
The door on that model of the 727 opened out as it was less a door than a stair ramp. Please see: https://simpleflying.com/boeing-727-rear-door-problem/
My comment below was in reference to wilson’s comment, “I solemnly pledge that this comment is 110% carbon neutral. If you find otherwise, form a class and sue me.’
The problem with your suggestion about a lawsuit is, first, anyone can sue anyone at anytime over anything. I can sue Patrick, as purely an example, because In-N-Out forgot to put catchup in my to-go bag. It will be immediately dismissed, of course, and I’d likely be hit with fees and costs, but I can file the suit. In your suggested case, we’d also have to prove damages, that is the harm and loss that occurred because of our reliance on your statement. I doubt any can be proven and the suit would be dismissed, again likely with fees and costs. In the Delta case, Berrin et al. v Delta, 2:23-cv-04150, Southern District of California, the passenger suggests the economic harm of fraud, that she bought a ticket she thought was “greener” than other airlines and paid more money for that feature. Whether she still has sufficient damage and that she did, in fact, pay more to provide the basis for a lawsuit is up for debate and the court has not ruled on that. That court also hasn’t certified the class yet, either.
Patrick,
Perhaps you could explain how DB Cooper exited the plane. If I remember correctly, it was through a rear door. Were they designed that much differently?
Warmest regards
Your 5/31/23 thoughts of opening an aircraft door thoughts brought to mind something else about that emergency door. Specifically the task and effort potentially assumed by sitting in the emergency row.
I have noticed a significant, if not nearly indifferent attitude by the cabin crew regarding who is seated on that now very much coveted extra leg room emergency exit row.
Once upon a time one of the crew members came hovering around those of us seated in the emergency exit row. With crisp voice and eye contact reciting the importance of the responsibility one was assuming and warning that the door was heavy. Then ending with the specific question if we are up to the task or wishing to be relocated to another seat in the aircraft.
Now the pre-flight announcement or information video basically skims the subject. Can not recall the last time a crew member came to the exit row for so much as a quick look. Worse, I have seen folks seated right next to that emergency door that make me cross my fingers and hope for the best should an emergency arise.
/signed/, just call me Old Grump
* My first flight was a child on a transatlantic KLM Connie. I recall the several rounds of complimentary yet tiny cigaret/match packets for adults and Chiclet gum for children. As an adult way to many short and long flights to count.
** And anybody today who does not know how to operate a seat belt, perhaps should not be allowed to be on board the flight!
Just a wee bit of pedantry – the blown slide doesn’t get restowed. It’s unserviceable at that point and gets sent back to the shop to be inspected and repacked (or scrapped if it’s damaged). A serviceable slide is brought out and installed. But yeah, that’s a whole thing involving multiple inspection steps. I wouldn’t want to install one of those things with passengers rubbernecking and wondering when their flight will depart.
There’s something that’s come up in reports that I’ve seen that intrigues me.
Early stories said the passenger who opened the door “felt suffocated” (later stories seem to suggest anxiety after losing his job), and then said that after landing, several passengers were hospitalised with breathing difficulties.
I can’t see how opening the door at such a low height could have caused passengers to develop breathing difficulties: there wouldn’t have been a significant pressure drop or anything. Unless their breathing difficulties are a result of panic or shock or something.
What’s going on here? Is there something to do with opening the door that could have caused breathing difficulties? Or is it possible that the same thing that caused these breathing difficulties also caused the first passenger to “feel suffocated” and open the door? Or is the problem that he opened a rear door and some engine fumes got in or something?
I’m just a bit mystified. Patrick, do you know what could have caused this?
I solemnly pledge that this comment is 110% carbon neutral. If you find otherwise, form a class and sue me.
Imagine the lucky person who got home and found the slide (or rather, what was left of it) in their yard! Until they saw the news and connected the dots, that could be quite the mystery.
Many years ago I volunteered to take part in a certification test for the DC10. For the test ‘passengers’ were boarded on the plane via the Jetway. ‘flight attendants’ gave normal instructions. (The windows were covered so we could not see out). Some simulated luggage was scattered in the aisles. Plane started a normal take-of run with engine noises, etc
Suddenly the plane tilted to one side and were told to evacuate via the nearest exit. Only the exits on on side would open per test specs. The functional doors opened and the inflatable slides deployed___ except for one door where the slide malfunctioned. Those at the front if the line were nearly pushed out. (a long drop).
Fortunately, they immediately aborted the test via a LOUD siren and speakers saying ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!…..
Unfortunately this group of a couple hundred people were ‘tainted’ and they had to set up another test with a ‘virgin’ group of people.
I think your book explained it well.
At some very low altitude the pressure differential is not significant.
The only unanswered question is how low is “very low”?
Maybe nobody’s getting sucked out, but someone could fall out, or be pushed out. It’s pretty alarming — hope I never experience it!
Love your work.
Tod Brody
We had an idiot Member of Parliament here in India who tried the same stunt aboard a domestic flight of Indigo Airlines. He did it during taxi before takeoff, and that ended up aborting the entire takeoff routine- as it is not as simple as shutting the door back – it ended up inflating the slides (which had been armed for take off.)
Yes, “blowing a slide,” as we say, is a serious deal. It takes hours to re-stow those things. And if the slide is blown while the plane is moving, it could be damaged and need replacing, or it might damage the door structure or some other part of the plane. That plane won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Basically, everybody who blogs or vlogs or podcasts about aviation has answered this question in pretty much the same way. I’m pretty sure that every last one of them is being yelled at.
Sorry to hear about the unfriendly reactions, but thanks for updating us all on the subtleties of emergency-door opening mid-flight. I appreciate it.