Is It Really Possible To Force Open A Plane Door During Mid-Flight?
'Fact Or Fake': We keep hearing about failed attempts to do so every now and then.
By Sadho Ram — 28 May 2016, 04:04 PM
Every now and then we hear how a crazy passenger tried but failed to open emergency exit while the airplane was cruising in the sky
Just imagine what would happen if someone did manage to open the door?
To quote Oliver Smith of The Telegraph, "It's one of the nervous flier's (numerous) nightmare scenarios. A potty fellow passenger makes a beeline for the emergency exit and yanks the door open, sending themselves, and any unsecured trolley dollies and holidaymakers, spinning into the stratosphere."
In fact, just this week a man apparently tried to force open a Lufthansa flight's door at 38,000 feet because he wanted to smoke
However, it is simply impossible to open a plane door during mid-flight! To quote pilot and blogger Patrick Smith of 'Ask the Pilot':
"You cannot – 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."
askthepilot.com
Regardless of what you have seen in the movies, opening the door of a plane at normal cruising altitudes, despite how much you fuss with its opening mechanism, your every attempt is going to fail
"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. The doors are further held secure by a series of electrical and/or mechanical latches," Patrick Smith explains.
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