Posted on 01/10/2008 7:08:10 PM PST by CarrotAndStick
KOLKATA: Dressed like a junkie, college student Luv Kumar Jha was ready to take off on a dream holiday to the sun-kissed beaches of the Andamans. One careless act later, his dreams lay shattered, as did the plans of 49 others. They included his parents and two brothers.
Around 9.40 am on Thursday, Luv settled into Kingfisher Airlines seat 12 A. His brothers plonked themselves next to him while his parents took the seats across the aisle. Flying for the first time, the excited brothers began fidgeting around. A lever next to the seat drew Luv's attention. On it was a sticker that screamed 'Pull Me' in bright red.
Luv did just that. Immediately, a section of the aircraft wall flung open, leaving a gaping hole next to the seat. The suddenness of the event surprised Luv and his brothers. It even left them amused. The trio were promptly bundled out of the aircraft along with their parents and taken for interrogation by airline securitymen. Another 45 passengers were deplaned as a Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guideline mandates a passenger to emergency exit ratio.
Bank manager A K Srimani, who was travelling with his wife and son just ahead of the row occupied by the Jhas, said the boys with sunglasses and bandanas around their forehead, had appeared slightly 'loony'. "They were constantly fidgeting around," he said. Srimani had just picked up lozenges from the tray that a stewardess was carrying around when the door flew open. "Hearing a noise, I turned around to see the aircraft door give way and the emergency escape shutter roll out. Sunlight streamed in through the gaping hole," he recalled.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080111/jsp/calcutta/story_8767690.jsp
How the heck does *that* happen?
They were still on the ground. Check your luggage, check your brain.
I would hope that kid never flies again. Try to do that on an American flight, and the kid would wake up in the hospital.
If he wakes up.
Already the Indian lawyer wants to sue the airline. (Second story, closing paragraph.) Looks like everything worked mechanically as it was intended. Just some of the humans on board seem in need of some adjustments (including the young man who may have intentionally pulled the emergency chord AND the lawyer who wants to sue)/.
Elbow prod? I am a little skeptical.
Maybe they were on something.
Glue?
Yo gotsta Luv dat Kumar Jha!
Same here. Don’t those things have to be rotate a full 90 degrees to dis-engage the locks?
From what I understand, they are designed to be opened easily, but are specifically designed to prevent unintentional opening.
Foolish kids playing around I can believe. Kids do stupid things. But this was an intentional act — whether he was aware of the consequences or not.
Suing the airlines because the safety features worked properly. Sounds like something that would happen in America.
Yeah, next he’s going to tell us he once accidentally removed a 3” long screw from a board by bumping it.
I was gonna say the same thing. Those doors you gotta want to open not accidentally hit them with your elbow. Punk did it on purpose.
“I Double Dog Dare you to pull that lever!!!”
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Elbow prod?
A second-year B.S student is no child.
How does one : accidentally elbowed the lever of the emergency door ...
What about the brothers?
I sat in the emergency row on a regional jet last July with my elderly father. Before we were allowed sit in the seat, we were asked by the flight attendant if we were willing and able to operate the door in an emergency. I didn't mind the extra responsibility, because the seats had extra leg room compared to all the other seats on the plane.
How old does that make him? Six years old? 18?
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