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.
I thought it was against FAA rules as well.
B.Sc expands to Bachelor of Science in Commonwealth countries like India, Britain and Australia.
One would have to complete 12th grade to be eligible to do it. A second-year B.Sc student would be about 17+2 years, minimum.
This *kid* should be arrested.
The emergency exit seating plan is generally the same everywhere.
I am going to assume the brothers were late teens/ adults as well.
The emergency rows are the best ( as I often got them ) : extra leg room...
I never tried to open the door and it looks more involved than what this fool says.
It must be easier on the ground, as it must be tough to open the door when the cabin is pressurized at high altitude ?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot????
The mind boggles at how you go about dressing as a "junkie", unles the meaning is something else where the story came from.............
I’ve seen Indian civil aviation guidelines on emergency exit seating & I believe there is an age limit of 16 years to be able to sit there.
The door screamed "Pull Me" . . .
Just a few of the more humorous passages in the story. Maybe somebody from India could enlighten us all.
It reminds me of the story about an English lad sitting next to the American exchange student.
"Can I borrow one of your rubbers," he asks.
Seeing her mortified expression, he explains "I only need to use it for a minute. And I'll give it right back to you when I'm done with it."
>>“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.<<
Read you loud and clear...
* Perhaps the passenger that opened the exit door was not properly briefed by the cabin crew regarding the emergency exit procedures.
Outsourcing lawyers?
You’re right. There’s FAA requirements that passengers seated on an emergency exit row have to be physically able to perform the duties requested by the FAs in the case of an emergency—mainly, they have to be able to open that door or overwing exit and deploy the slide if applicable. I’ve never seen a child seated on an emergency exit row, but my flying experience is limited compared to a lot of the frequent travelers here.
I’ve never ridden on an A320, but if Kingfisher’s are set up similarly to Northworst’s, thusly:
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Northwest_Airlines/Northwest_Airlines_Airbus_A320.php
...then row 12 is over the wing. Are the wing exits on an A320 actual doors, or are they simply plugs that have to be pushed out? I ask because IIRC, the window exits on the DC-9 derivatives I’ve done most of my flying on (Airtran 717s) weigh about forty pounds, and require a bit of muscle to move—you can’t just pull a lever and have them fall out.
}:-)4
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