What happens if someone opens a plane door mid flight?

Sudden decompression, which would occur if a plane door was suddenly thrust open, is another matter. Anyone standing near the exit would be ejected into the sky; the cabin temperature would quickly plummet to frostbite-inducing levels, and the plane itself might even begin to break apart.



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A passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight recently opened an emergency door while the flight was in the air—something that shouldn't be able to happen. We looked into it. Usually, when the cabin is pressurized, the exit row doors can't be opened.

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Sudden decompression, which would occur if a plane door was suddenly thrust open, is another matter. Anyone standing near the exit would be ejected into the sky; the cabin temperature would quickly plummet to frostbite-inducing levels, and the plane itself might even begin to break apart.

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How much force is needed to open a plane door in flight? Common passenger doors are about six feet tall and 3.5 feet wide. That means to open the door at 36,000 feet, you would need to overcome more than 24,000 pounds of pressure. That is the weight of six cars or 20 polar bears.

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Were you to open a plane window, the compressed air inside would rapidly rush out, atmospheric conditions inside and outside the plane would equalize, and everybody would die. Plane windows that roll down would therefore be, in Romney's words, a real problem.

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When the aircraft is not pressurized, either on the ground or if depressurized during the flight (intentionally or due to an accident), then pilots can open them. On most modern aircraft, the opening procedure is the same. The window is unlatched, and it then slides inwards into the cockpit and opens to the side.

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The program is conducted by specially trained undercover armed RCMP officers (known as aircraft protective officers – APOs) on selected domestic and international flights and all flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the United States.

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Your nearby cabin crew most likely will not be talking to passengers on take-off or landing, and you may think they are just thinking about dinner that night. This is what they are actually doing to prepare for the best outcome should there be an emergency evacuation. They are preparing to save lives.

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On December 16, 1960, a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 bound for Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) in New York City collided in midair with a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation descending toward LaGuardia Airport.

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Pilots can and sometimes do smoke in the cockpits of business jets. These can be as large as airliners (see BBJ), but usually aren't. Even when a country and/or airline ban smoking in the flight deck, some pilots will ignore the ban and still light up.

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Yes, some airline pilots do carry guns in the cockpit but carry a gun lawfully they must belong to a special program called the Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDOs). This program requires special training and pilots who enroll have strict limitations on when they can use the firearm.

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According to USA Today, the common cruising altitude for most commercial airplanes is between 33,000 and 42,000 feet, or between about six and nearly eight miles above sea level. Typically, aircraft fly around 35,000 or 36,000 feet in the air. To put that in perspective, the peak of Mount Everest measures 29,029 feet.

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Many airlines provide crew rest areas on their aircraft, where pilots can sleep during long-haul flights. These areas are usually located in the tail, cargo area or above the cabin of the plane and are designed to be as quiet and comfortable as possible. Other crew members prefer to use business class seats to rest.

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Planes have headlights so that pilots can see what is in front of them. Unfortunately, they are only effective during takeoffs and landings. Even with the slight illumination offered by the headlights, only darkness is visible when looking out the front window of a cockpit.

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Yes, airplane pilots can wear glasses. (And many do.) If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, you can still become a commercial, private, or military pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the military have certain minimum standards for prospective pilots.

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Pilot and Vietnam War veteran Pete Jordan knows exactly what happens when a pressurized cabin decompresses 30,000 feet in the air at 300 to 600 mph: There's no oxygen, and it gets damn cold in a hurry. An open door would release the cabin's ball of pressure, causing an immediate suction explosion.

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