Can you open up a commercial airplane door while it's flying at altitude?

Question

With the recent instances of people trying to open airplane doors while in flight, I was just curious if it's possible. Surely there is some sort of locking mechanism or other failsafe device that won't allow the doors to be opened above a certain altitude.

Answer 1

From what I heard the door is bigger than the actual doorway.  The door has to be pull inward, turned slightly before being opened. The door can only be pull in when the pressure is equal.

Answer 2

The air flow on the outside and the cabin pressure make it hard to open, but not impossible.

Answer 3

I've been on quite a few of the larger airliners, and with MOST of the doors, the final movement is one that presses the door against the outside edge of the structure. This means that with the aircraft pressurized, the door won't open.

Answer 4

No.  It is not possible.  The doors are held in place by the pressure differential between the cabin and the exterior.

I worked under an agreement that I would not divulge a whole list of security related technical details about the airplanes we flew.  So I really can't tell you how we can be so sure that no one can open the doors in flight.

But you can be sure that it is impossible.

Have a nice flight.

Answer 5

No, the pressure inside the airplane is holding the door shut, and that pressure is way to great to even budge the door.  At least, that's how it is in the jets I've flown.  This type of door is called a plug door.

In the planes I've flown, there is no other secret locking mechanism that would prevent a person of super-human strength from moving the handle and opening the door.

Answer 6

The doors of commercial transports are usually "plug"-type doors that are pressed against their frames by internal pressure in the cabin.  They open inward initially, so to open them you have to overcome the cabin pressurization.  The pressure against the door in flight is often around 20 tons, so even if you manage to unlock the door, you can't move it unless the aircraft is depressurized.

Some aircraft also have flight locks on certain doors that prevent them from being opened unless the aircraft senses that it is on the ground.

A few smaller aircraft (such as some pressurized turboprops and small aircraft, not commonly used as commercial transports) do not have plug-type doors, and these can be opened in flight.

Answer 7

It's not the pressurization actually, because airliner doors open outwards, and FORWARD.  The pressure of the outside airflow against the door would make it impossible for a human to force the door open while in flight.