Is It Possible For A Passenger To Open An Airplane's Emergency Exit Door Midflight?

After the recent incident of a JetBlue passenger opening an exit door while the plane was taxiing along the tarmac, you may be wondering if this could happen while the plane is in the air. Retired Captain Richard Levy, who spent 41 years flying for American Airlines (one of America's safest airlines with the least amount of incidents) and now consults for AviationExpertConsulting.com, gave Explore the scoop on why you don't have to be too worried about that terrifying scenario.

"At normal cruising altitudes, it is impossible to open any cabin door because of cabin pressurization," Levy states. "There is no human capable of overcoming the air pressure differential between a pressurized cabin and the air outside the aircraft. It would require more than 24,000 pounds (equivalent to the weight of six cars) of force to open an airplane door mid-flight." The higher the altitude, the stronger the pressure keeping the door sealed shut.

But what about at lower altitudes? Levy says that, while this is technically possible, "one would still have to be very strong, and flight attendants, as well as other passengers, would immediately intervene." While the unruly JetBlue passenger triggered the plane's emergency slide to deploy by accident, the plane was still on the ground. Other passengers also restrained him, giving us reason to believe it would be pretty hard to replicate this act even at low altitude.

Thankfully, airlines have safeguards to prevent unauthorized door openings, so you can release that death grip on your armrest. Levy emphasizes that opening the emergency door during flight is virtually impossible, and the crew would notice immediately if it happened on the ground. "Lights on the flight deck illuminate when any of these doors are opened," he explains. That's because those doors are never used unless an emergency ground evacuation is underway.

But, for the sake of all of us from the "Final Destination" era, what should passengers do in this extremely unlikely scenario? "Even a slightly opened door at low altitude would create a loss of cabin pressurization. The noise level would be very high, and it would become very windy in the passenger cabin," Levy says, humoring us. "As long as the passengers are seated with their seatbelts securely fastened, they are safe." If you're still concerned, here are some survival tips if a window breaks mid-flight.

Ultimately, passengers should feel confident that this will never happen. "Flight attendants check and double-check the security of ALL doors," Levy reassures. So next time you board a plane, rest easy knowing that emergency exits are locked down tight. "Once you safely arrive at your final destination, perhaps take a moment to thank the flight attendants and flight deck crew for watching out for your safety before, during, and after your flight," Levy encourages.