Another door opening in flight attempt: this time, on Air Asia

[anat0l]

Looks like the intelligence of people who attempt to open up aircraft doors in the air matches that of robbers who don't take note of the "No cash stored overnight" signs.

What is it with these incidents lately... I mean, at least it isn't ATC failures or planes crashing out of the sky...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Looks like the intelligence of people who attempt to open up aircraft doors in the air matches that of robbers who don't take note of the "No cash stored overnight" signs.

What is it with these incidents lately... I mean, at least it isn't ATC failures or planes crashing out of the sky...

According to flightaware there are roughly 7000-10000 commercial passenger flights in the air at the same time on an average day.

A couple of instances of a passenger attempting to open a door is pretty low. Maybe it’s possible to argue some cases go unreported… which probably indicates it’s not really ‘news’?

Media like to latch on to the ‘issue of the day’. And try and make out it’s somehow systemic. I’m not sure it’s the case.

 

[anat0l]

According to flightaware there are roughly 7000-10000 commercial passenger flights in the air at the same time on an average day.

A couple of instances of a passenger attempting to open a door is pretty low. Maybe it’s possible to argue some cases go unreported… which probably indicates it’s not really ‘news’?

Media like to latch on to the ‘issue of the day’. And try and make out it’s somehow systemic. I’m not sure it’s the case.

You're fundamentally right, it is "insignificant" (well, statistically anyway).

I think the news (and the reason to read the hyperbolic media) is not so much the incident itself (particularly something like this where no actual damage was directly incurred and could not have happened), but rather the aftermath and consequences, particularly if there are no consequences. For example, the lady on Jetstar the other day who was detained in Bali after similarly attempting to open a door (and also being at least vocally belligerent) was reported to have been flown back to Australia. People aren't likely to react to the fact she couldn't open the door and more than she isn't rightfully sitting in a prison in Bali having the sense beaten into her (and the airline which said she was not allowed to fly them for the foreseeable future was compelled to carry her back to Australia, essentially giving her the return flight scot free).

The news of the two crashes in the USA were not too much about the crash itself (apart from blessings and thoughts for the dead) but rather who was to blame and what was being done (and maybe what Mr Orange with the toupee said). Luckily, two crashes in the space of merely a week isn't enough to make everyone think that flying (in the USA) is now unsafe (or even flying around the Washington DC area is inherently unsafe), because most realise, like you, that the incidences are very rare. (That said, it doesn't mean we should simply ignore such incidents)

Media also like to latch on the airlines with any incident in order to provide attack vectors for the public. Notice how comments left on articles about airlines often contain a lot of content which has no relevance to the article incident itself but rather any grievances and horror stories about said airline. It's all traffic for the media company anyway. I remember when Qantas was in the news whenever a go around happened, aka "we thought we all were going to die"...

 

[XWu]

Looks like the intelligence of people who attempt to open up aircraft doors in the air matches that of robbers who don't take note of the "No cash stored overnight" signs.

What is it with these incidents lately... I mean, at least it isn't ATC failures or planes crashing out of the sky...

I am making assumptions here, but perhaps it’s the look of FA handling doors handles while on the ground (while not actually opening the door) that gives the people the wrong ideas

 

[moa999]

Suspect those attempting to open the doors are not the brightest in the first place..

But it's actually given in the instructions.
The FA doesn't actually lock the door, but primarily arm and disarm the explosive emergency exit slide.

 

[anat0l]

But it's actually given in the instructions.
The FA doesn't actually lock the door, but primarily arm and disarm the explosive emergency exit slide.

Of course you aren't suggesting that because it is in the instructions that it gives a right for the passengers to do it any time they want.

This isn't a case of keep the knives away from children.

Not quite related to the topic, but you do raise a good point: doors on aircraft don't "lock" as such. People think they lock, i.e. like ground vehicles where you need keys or what not to get in and out, but there is no such thing on aircraft. Thankfully, physics is fantastic at ensuring (at least to a very high degree) that pax can't open the door at height, viz. basically a lock. (It of course doesn't stop the stupid for doing it on the ground, however)

 

[elanshin]

Of course you aren't suggesting that because it is in the instructions that it gives a right for the passengers to do it any time they want.

This isn't a case of keep the knives away from children.

Not quite related to the topic, but you do raise a good point: doors on aircraft don't "lock" as such. People think they lock, i.e. like ground vehicles where you need keys or what not to get in and out, but there is no such thing on aircraft. Thankfully, physics is fantastic at ensuring (at least to a very high degree) that pax can't open the door at height, viz. basically a lock. (It of course doesn't stop the stupid for doing it on the ground, however)

There is one circumstance that it can be opened mid air (and we've seen this in korea) where during descent you actually get low enough that the pressure differential becomes almost equalised thus making the door actually openable.

 

[XWu]

Of course you aren't suggesting that because it is in the instructions that it gives a right for the passengers to do it any time they want.

This isn't a case of keep the knives away from children.

Not quite related to the topic, but you do raise a good point: doors on aircraft don't "lock" as such. People think they lock, i.e. like ground vehicles where you need keys or what not to get in and out, but there is no such thing on aircraft. Thankfully, physics is fantastic at ensuring (at least to a very high degree) that pax can't open the door at height, viz. basically a lock. (It of course doesn't stop the stupid for doing it on the ground, however)

Again “slightly”+ off topic, most large pax jet airplane (not piston) doesn’t have an ignition key or a door key*, I am led to believe, and I secretly hoped there would be a movie about an attempted heist during COVID-19 to steal a plane from one of those long term parking airfield, like the APAS at Alice Springs, although no one would want to pay to relive the pandemic time again!

+ not true but indulge me!
* of course it needs a whole lot of other support staff and equipment to get one moving