An Indian passenger flying for the first time triggered mid-air panic onboard a packed Go Air flight on Saturday when he tried to open the plane’s emergency door, mistaking it for a toilet.
The passenger, a banker in his late 20s, tried to open the rear exit door on a flight from New Delhi to Patna when he “urgently” needed to use the washroom.
When the co-passengers raised an alarm, the cabin crew intercepted the man and ordered him to remain in his seat for the rest of the flight.
He was later handed over to the airport security after the flight safely landed at the Patna airport.
After questioning the passenger, the authorities said he had unlocked the plane door, but could not open it due to the pressure inside the cabin.
He was later released on bail and the incident was attributed to a mistake by the passenger who was an inexperienced flyer.
“There was no ulterior motive behind his act,” Airport police station chief Sanowar Khan told the Times of India.
What happens if a plane door is opened mid-air?
It is “physically impossible” to open the doors or emergency hatches of a passenger plane while it's in flight because of the difference in pressure inside and outside the jet, aviation blogger Jason Rabinowitz told Travel + Leisure.
“When at cruising altitude, the pressure difference between the outside of the plane and the inside of the plane, which is pressurised, creates a situation where the door cannot open,” said Mr Rabinowitz.
Doors inside a plane including emergency doors open inward. So when a plane is cruising, there is a massive amount of pressure that pushes the door towards the interior of the plane. That makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for any human being to open the door while the plane is at cruising altitude.
The planes that allow skydivers or military personnel leap off mid-air are not pressurised and are significantly different from passenger planes.
But what if a passenger does somehow manage to open the door despite the pressure inside the cabin?
Mr Rabinowitz told Travel + Leisure that an open door would result in “explosive decompression,” which means it could get extremely loud, humid and foggy, and the temperature might drop significantly inside the plane.
And in worst case scenarios, there are also chances of passengers being sucked out of the aircraft and ejected into the sky, according to ASAPScience.
However, the fact remains that such emergencies are rare and fortunately, opening the door when the flight is airborne remains almost impossible.
So stay belted, and always comply with in-flight rules because it’s dangerous and against the law to go against them.
