Emergency Exits in Planes | Only vehicles

Emergency Exits in Planes

You would have seen various emergency exits everywhere. These places include malls, shopping centres, cinema theatres, etc. They are there for a reason. These types of places are prone to fires which can be devastating. As these places are closed spaces, it is necessary for people to evacuate immediately as smoke fills up the whole area very quickly. Same is the case with airplanes. Onboard fires can be very dangerous. This posts discusses about the emergency exits in planes.

Types of Doors in Planes:

There are mainly four types of doors which you may see in planes. Not all planes have all the doors as their models and types (Passenger or Cargo) differ.

• Entry or Exit doors: These are used by the cockpit crew, cabin crew, and passengers for boarding and getting off the aircraft.

• Emergency doors: These are over-wing exits and are used only during emergencies.

• Cargo doors: They are present in all planes and are used for loading passenger luggage or cargo into the cargo compartments.

• Nose Cargo door: This is found only in some cargo plane models.

Number of Emergency Exits:

Depending upon the size of the plane, the number of emergency exits differ. The number of emergency exits increases with increase in the size of the plane. It is mandatory by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) law that in case of emergencies, all passengers onboard should be evacuated from the aircraft within 1 minute. While designing a plane, all of this is tested in a model aircraft where all passengers seated would be made to evacuate the plane. If the FAA is content, it will approve the plane after all safety tests.

Emergency Door Operation:

There are only specific times when the emergency door should be used. The passengers who will be seated near the emergency exits will be given additional information by the cabin crew on how to open the emergency exit door. Otherwise, the cabin crew themselves would open the door. There are about 10 emergency exits in aircraft like the Boeing 747. The increasing number of passengers onboard the plane increases the number of flight attendants on the plane. It is not recommended for nervous flyers to book seats near emergency exits as instructions given to them are not going to help them calm down in any way.

Emergency Doors for Pilots:

Pilots also have a quick escape onboard planes. Some of the cockpit windows can be opened if needed. This is mainly used for cleaning of windows. Otherwise, it can also be used as emergency exits by the pilots. Aircraft like the Boeing 747 comes with IRED. IRED stands for Inertial Reel Escape Device. This device consists of a door on the top of the cockpit. A set of specially designed reels are hung on to by the pilots and slide down to the ground. The reels help to reduce the rate of descent of the fall. The IRED was used by the pilots during the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73. There are a lot of emergency systems for pilots such as oxygen masks which provide oxygen for two hours, and smoke evacuation system. This is crucial as pilots must be conscious to land planes at the nearby airport quickly during emergencies. A cockpit full of smoke is an absolute terrifying place to be in. Always, safety is the main concern for the crew on every flight.

IRED - Boeing 747

Working of Emergency Doors:

The way to open emergency doors is very simple. A handle will be provided within an enclosed box. Open the protective box and pull down the handle. A latch will detach from above. Next, the door comes off freely to the hand. Emergency evacuation will proceed after this action takes place. The emergency exits are mainly found over the wings. Most of the times, they are outlined with a red border indicating their location. It is very important to listen and watch carefully safety instructions before the flight. People seated near the emergency exits will get further instructions on how to open the emergency exits. The most important thing in a flight is safety. Emergency doors can never be opened mid-flight as the pressure inside the plane holds back the door firmly on its rim. Emergency doors other than that on top of the wings feature an inflated slide which can be used for quick exit.

Problems with Emergency Doors:

Emergency doors in aircraft have a very specific use and function. It is to be used only during emergency evacuation. The emergency exits onboard is classified as one of the safety equipment onboard the plane. Other safety equipment also include fire extinguishers, life vests, oxygen masks, and first aid kits. Passengers who are meddling with such equipment are rightly kicked off the plane. Unnecessary use of the emergency exits onboard a plane poses a major problem. Once emergency exits are opened, they have to fixed back in the same position by maintenance personnel. Such an action can potentially delay a flight. Such unruly passengers can become blacklisted by airlines.

Incidents in which People Opened Emergency Exit Doors Unnecessarily:

Recently, on a Ukraine International Airlines flight from Ukraine to Turkey, a female passenger opened one of the emergency exits on the plane after landing at Turkey. The plane was at its parking stand when she opened the emergency door to walk on the wing stating that it was too hot inside. She sat on the wing for a while before being called back inside by the cabin crew. The pilots had called the police and border force to look after the passenger. Such an act is totally unnecessary with an invalid reason. Her two children have seen their mother on the wing after getting off.

Just a few days back, on September 2021, a male passenger opened an emergency exit on the wing of the plane of an American Airlines flight while getting off at Miami. He stated that he needed help and was in some sort of trouble. He was detained and arrested due to his misbehavior. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration reported an increase in number of unruly passengers in 2021.

Things to learn:

Never hamper around with things in an aircraft related to safety. Air travel relies heavily upon safety. One of the important things in such a case is the cooperation of passengers.

The ultimate goal of any flight that you take up is not to get you from one place to another. It is nothing else but safety.

Always keep emergency equipment on aircraft safe. The entire safety of the flight heavily relies upon it.