Flier opens plane emergency door

The Times of India ^ | 11 Jan 2008, 0212 hrs IST | The Times of India

[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.

[CarrotAndStick]

 

 

Elbow prod opens flight door|
- 51 offloaded for passenger’s error

A STAFF REPORTER

An emergency door of IT531 was flung open and the escape chute went flying out — all while the Kingfisher flight to Port Blair on Thursday morning was still in the parking bay at Calcutta airport.

A passenger — later iden-tified as a first-time flier — “accidentally” elbowed the lever of the emergency door just as the air hostess was starting to distribute sweets.

The after-taste proved particularly bitter for 51 passengers, who were offloaded for “safety reasons”, as the emergency exit next to seat 12F was rendered non-functional.

The A-320 aircraft was scheduled to take off with 161 passengers on board. But after the emergency door fiasco on parking bay 25, the flight was delayed by over 90 minutes and it finally left with only 110 passengers on board.

Among those offloaded was Luv Kumar Jha, a second-year B.Sc student in Delhi who had “accidentally” pushed the emergency exit lever next to his seat 12F, sparking partial evacuation and offloading.

Those seated from rows 1 to 15 on the all-economy-class flight were not allowed to board again, in keeping with safety norms of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

“When the lever is activated, a cartridge is punctured and the escape chute is inflated with nitrogen gas. For the emergency exit to be used again, a refill of nitrogen gas is required, which is not readily available. So, the door could not be used again on the flight,” said an airport official.

“According to DGCA norms, all passengers must escape through the emergency exits within 90 seconds. With 161 passengers on board and only three of the four emergency doors in operation, this would not have been possible. So, passengers near the faulty exit were offloaded to restore the safety ratio,” he explained.

The airline put it down as an accident involving a nervous first-time flier. Jha, originally from Bokaro, was going to Port Blair on a holiday with his family members.

“He was sitting next to an emergency door. His elbow hit the box of the emergency door but instead of seeking help from a crew member, he pulled at the lever, causing the door to open. This can only happen when the aircraft is stationery, and the doors are not locked,” said a Kingfisher official.

Jha’s ticket was promptly cancelled and the amount refunded, while the other offloaded passengers were put up at various city hotels, with the promise of being flown to Port Blair on Friday.

Rachita Ratho, 41, was not amused by her forced Calcutta halt. “This is not a joke. My husband had an important conference to attend in Port Blair. There was complete confusion on the aircraft. I think I will sue the airlines and write to Vijay Mallya,” said the Mumbai-based professor of a government law college, who was put up at Kenilworth.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080111/jsp/calcutta/story_8767690.jsp

 

[Spktyr]

How the heck does *that* happen?

[edcoil]

They were still on the ground. Check your luggage, check your brain.

[wastedyears]

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.

[bajabaja]

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)/.

[Candor7]

It takes more than an elbow prod to open an emergency hatch lever that is fully secured.

Elbow prod? I am a little skeptical.

[Candor7]

Some fidgety teenagers need straight jackets before being allowed to board? I swear.

Maybe they were on something.

Glue?

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Yo gotsta Luv dat Kumar Jha!

[Ronin]

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.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Suing the airlines because the safety features worked properly. Sounds like something that would happen in America.

[Right Wing Assault]

Yeah, next he’s going to tell us he once accidentally removed a 3” long screw from a board by bumping it.

[Domandred]

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.

[Syntyr]

“I Double Dog Dare you to pull that lever!!!”

[Paleo Conservative]

In the US, wouldn't it be a violation of FAA rules for a child to be seated in a row with an emergency exit? Notice that the emergency exit was opened while the plane was parked on the ground. In flight there are many tons of force holding it shut.

If you want on or off this aerospace ping list, please contact Paleo Conservative or phantomworker by Freep mail.

[george76]

Elbow prod?

[CarrotAndStick]

A second-year B.S student is no child.

[george76]

How does one : “accidentally” elbowed the lever of the emergency door ...

[Paleo Conservative]

A second-year B.S student is no child.

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.

[Mr. Brightside]

Luv Kumar Jha, a second-year B.Sc student

How old does that make him? Six years old? 18?

[BIGLOOK]

Ahhh....no.

Have you ever gotten on an airline and had your seating assignment changed to a seat next to the emergency exit? The airlines used to do that so a grandmother or a kid wasn't in that seat. While flying in uniform with A/C wings it was my regular seat on commercial flights.