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.

Opening a door on a pressurized aircraft at high altitude is physically impossible due to the "plug door" design; the internal pressure of the cabin acts like a massive bolt, holding the door sealed with thousands of pounds of force. However, if a structural failure or a window blow-out were to occur (explosive decompression), the results would be catastrophic and immediate. The internal air rushes out with immense velocity to equalize with the thin outside atmosphere, creating a "fog" as the temperature and pressure drop instantly. Human beings would experience "hypoxia" (oxygen deprivation) within seconds, necessitating the immediate use of the yellow oxygen masks that drop from the ceiling. Physically, the rapid expansion of gases in the body could cause "the bends" or lung damage. Pilots are trained to perform an emergency descent to 10,000 feet, where the air is breathable, but the initial force of the air rushing out can easily eject unsecured objects—or people—near the opening.