Are areoplane doors locked fast during flight?

Question

Just read a news story about a drunk getting really aggro on a flight and trying to open the door on the plane before being restrained. Just wondering, does anyone with a knowledge of aviation know, are commercial airline plane doors securely locked or what?

Answer 1

Yes, they are. It's possible to open the emergency door, but I don't think you can in-flight. You must be over 18 to sit by an emergency door and cannot be drunk. Infact, with most airlines you cannot be drunk to fly on the plane in the first place.

Answer 2

Yes its not possible to open them during flight

Answer 3

Think of it this way.  While a plane is normally at altitude, the difference in pressure inside the plane vs outside the plane could be something like 8 PSI (the pressure is holding the door closed).  If you're on the ground, and there is something wrong with the pressure system that causes even a 0.2 PSI pressure differential, it would be nearly impossible to open the door.  The cabin doors are not locked in any other sort of manner, at least not in a manner that would prevent a passenger from trying to open it.

Answer 4

This is a very rare situation. The cabin crew are fully trained to handle such emergencies. Do not be overly worried by such stories. Many passengers have tried similar silly stuff, but all have been dealt with swiftly and effectively by the cabin staff and subsequently by the law.

Answer 5

Lots of incorrect assumptions.  Motorized doors have no power in flight but nothing mechanically locks the door.

Modern planes with plug doors like the 747 have small flaps at the top and bottom of the door that fold inward and will depressurize the cabin.  00:50 in the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfVnfujHt...  It's also normal procedure to open the door to evacuate smoke.

00:5 and 00:10 in the video.  The person inside tries to open the door, then closes the handle then opens it again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO7BQRJ-8...

Not all American planes have plug doors.  The 777 doors move outward then slide forward and also have a depressurization flap near the top of the door.  00:07 in the video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7R2Qbvyw...

Even if the plane is pressurized, it's still possible to open the door.  An AA flight attendant got sucked out of door when he opened opened it.  There was a problem with the pressurized system.  http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/11/20/em...

A Philippines hijacker bails out of an A330 by opening the door.  The plane was depressurized and at 6000ft but he still opened the door.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/...

So what would happen if a drunk guy tried to open the door?

On a modern airliner like a B747, A777, A330 etc moving the handle will open the flaps and start depressurizing the plane.  The flight crew will know a door is open and the depressurizing and descend.  Even at a low altitude, depressurized and slow airspeed it would be very difficult to open the door against the airflow.  Similar to opening the door of a car on the highway.  You'll be able to unlatch the door but it's very hard to open it against the wind.

In an emergency, the doors have to be able opened from the inside or the passengers will be trapped.  There can't be any electrical switches, sensors, squat switches, pressure switches etc because if there's an electrical failure or belly landing or pressuriziation problem the doors would lock everyone inside.

Answer 6

If the aircraft is pressurized, you cannot open them in flight.

Answer 7

On American made aircraft the doors have to move into the aircraft before they open.  If the aircraft is pressurized then the person would have to be ridiculously strong, (He-Man might be able to do it).  I don't doubt he tried but didn't get far.  They do have a locking mechanism on them but that's not what keeps the door from being able to be fully opened.

Answer 8

Due to the difference in pressure during flight, it is impossible to open a plug type door, which, as has been mentioned, is a door which moves in before moving out. For example, the doors on the Boeing 707, 717, 727, 737, 747 and 757 open to a "cracked" position when the handle is turned. In the cracked position, one side of the door moves into the cabin at an angle.

On the Boeing 767, the door has to move into the cabin slightly before it can move up into the ceiling.

On many window exits, the exit must be brought into the cabin and rotated before being thrown out.

This same plug principle applies to many commercial aircraft.

Interestingly, on the 737NG, the overwing exits are not plugs. Instead, when opened the open upwards on a hinge. Becasue of this, they are fitted with an automatic lock that activates inflight. If there are ever problems with this lock, my airline requires an extra crew member to sit beside the exit to ensure nobody tries to open it.

Answer 9

DeTe and Rob were on target,   but only regarding what are known as "plug type" doors.  Plug type doors are wedge shaped and fit tighter into the door opening, the more pressure is applied. No human could ever open one with the cabin pressurized.

But.. what about doors that are NOT plug type doors?  I can't think of any piston... and the only turbo prop I can think of that *might* have a plug door was the Saab 340.... but the Jetstream, Metroliner, ATR, etc etc... none of those had them.. which means....YES.. they CAN and WILL be opened in flight. Case in point.. my little rhyme.. easy to remember...  "844 ain't got no door" is for AMR Eagle Bae Super Jetstream tail # 844AE lost it's door because the silly thing fell off. It had a bad design that caused confusion with the CAP panel DOOR light.. and it was an accident waiting to happen.

It did.

Somewhere over... North Carolina I think it was... The funny thing was that because of the James Bond movie, where at the very beginning of the film...he jumps out of a Jetstream, and takes away the bad guys parachute on the way down...   (they took the door completely off to film the scene)  they had to get an STC to perform the stunt. That allowed AMR Eagle years later to ferry their plane without the door back to have it reinstalled, which they did, and I flew that plane several times afterwards. (give you the creeps)   I did have in a different Jetstream, have a passenger come up and tap me on the shoulder inflight and tell me that "I tried to open that door to the bathroom, I stepped on the pedal, and lifted on the handle, but I couldn't get it open"  Well.. he had hold of the CABIN door, and thankfully, there is a mechanical interlock to prevent the door from opening, but he could have overridden it and been successful, but ofcourse, he would have popped out as a cork out of champagne. The Metroliner had a small diaphram that sensed the cabin pressure, and locked the door as long as there was a pressure differential.

ALL the emergency window exits I remember are plug type..