Can you open an aircraft door mid flight?

It is actually impossible to open a door mid flight! With the recent spate of news stories about inflight incidents involving unruly passengers, youmay wonder if it is indeed possible to open the door of an airliner inflight.

You cannot – repeat, cannot – open the doors or emergency hatches of an airplane in flight.  You can’t open them for the simple reason that cabin pressure won’t allow it.  Think of an aircraft door as a drain plug, fixed in place by the interior pressure.  Almost all aircraft exits open inward.  Some retract upward into the ceiling; others swing outward; but they open inward first, and not even the most musclebound human will overcome the force holding them shut.

At a typical cruising altitude, up to eight pounds of pressure are pushing against every square inch of interior fuselage.  That’s over 1,100 pounds against each square foot of door. Even at low altitudes, where cabin pressure levels are much less, a meager 2 p.s.i. differential is still more than anyone can displace — even after six cups of coffee and the aggravation that comes with sitting behind a shrieking baby.  The doors are further held secure by a series of electrical and/or mechanical latches and follows with important aspects given below. (source)

Cabin pressurization:

Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft, in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is usually bled off from the gas turbine engines at the compressor stage, and for spacecraft, it is carried in high-pressure, often cryogenic tanks.

Pressurization becomes necessary at altitudes above 12,500 feet (3,800 m) to 14,000 feet (4,300 m) above sea level to protect crew and passengers from the risk of a number of physiological problems caused by the low outside air pressure above that altitude. It also serves to generally increase passenger comfort and is a regulatory requirement above 8,000 feet (2,400 m).

Plug door

The term “plug door” may also refer to a sliding bus door that is not actually held in place by pressure, but is mechanically wedged into place when closed.

A plug door is a door designed to seal itself by taking advantage of pressure difference on its two sides and is typically used on aircraft with cabin pressurization. The higher pressure on one side forces the wedge-shaped door into its socket, making a good seal and preventing it from being opened until the pressure is released.

Non-plug doors rely on the strength of the locking mechanism to keep the door shut whereas a plug door relies on the pressure differential to keep it shut.

Aircraft door safety devices

Due to differences in air pressure, it is usually not in fact possible to open an airplane door during flight at normal cruising altitudes, despite what you may have seen in the movies. This goes for all doors of an aircraft, including emergency exit and main doors. You could fuss with the opening mechanism as much as you like, but you wouldn’t ultimately be successful.

Warn!
Interfering with the operation of an aircraft is a criminal offense in some regions, however, so you may be penalized for touching the door during flight.

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