Captain locked out of cockpit mid flight

teacher · Post by **teacher** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:57 pm

Doh, it was probably just a matter of time before that bullet proof door got stuck.....

http://www.canada.com/components/print. ... 4a&k=44392

Pilot locked out of Jazz cabin mid-flight

globalnational.com

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Air Canada Jazz photo. (Peter Lubig/www.flyjazz.ca)

WINNIPEG -- Many of us know that embarrassing feeling you get when you lock yourself out of your car.
Now imagine you did the same thing -- except you are on a plane, it is mid-flight, and you are the pilot, locked out of the cockpit after making a quick stop to the washroom.

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Global National Online Extras
» Mike Edgell reports
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The very thing happened onboard an Air Canada Jazz flight on Saturday, and the company confirmed Tuesday it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident that took place on the Bombardier CRJ-100 carrying as many as 50 passengers from Ottawa to Winnipeg.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., with approximately 20 minutes remaining on the two hour and 30 minute flight, the pilot on Flight 8475 apparently left the cockpit to use the washroom at the back of the plane, leaving the flight's First Officer in control of the plane.

A flight attendant remained in the cockpit with the First Officer.

However when the pilot returned, the door was apparently stuck -- or locked -- and the pilot was unable to return into the cockpit.

For roughly 10 minutes, passengers described seeing the pilot bang on the door and communicating with the cockpit through an internal telephone, but being unable to open the cabin door.

Eventually, the crew forced the door open by taking the door off its hinges completely, and the pilot safely landed the plane -- although in the event that the pilot was unable to access the cockpit, the First Officer is trained to land the aircraft.

However, airline analysts warn that incidents like these are disasters waiting to happen -- both in terms of accidents related to human error and vulnerability to terrorism.

"(The pilot) can be taken hostage by someone in the plane with hostile intent," said Peter St. John, a Winnipeg-based security analyst. "There's sloppiness, there's inconsistency, and there are vulnerabilities that terrorists are going to notice, and they're going to see it and say this is easy pickings."

Air Canada insists that this is the first instance of this ever happening, but since being locked out of the cockpit is a "non-reportable" incident, there is no way of confirming their frequency as the airlines are under no obligation to report them.

© Global National 2006

MAG1 · Post by **MAG1** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:04 pm

They sure are lucky the first officer was "trained" to land the aircraft!

Dust Devil · Post by **Dust Devil** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:23 pm

no more pee breaks for the AC guys I guess.

Lommer · Post by **Lommer** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:31 pm

Uh yeah, the FO is alone in the cockpit with the Flight attendant, and suddenly the door jams. Gee, sorry captain, I can't figure out how to open it, give me a few minutes to see if I can figure it out. Don't mind that moaning, its really hard work trying to force this damn door open...

fingersmac · Post by **fingersmac** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:35 pm

"(The pilot) can be taken hostage by someone in the plane with hostile intent,

Just like a flight attendant or a passenger can also be taken hostage

I think it should be more of a concern that the "reinforced" door can be taken off its hinges. Are these hinges on the inside or outside of the cockpit?

LinksInAChain · Post by **LinksInAChain** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:41 pm

LOL - Captains get hazed too?

Yeah, seriously - I fail to see the quality of a bulletproof door that can be dismantled from the hard side!!!

Links

Inverted2 · Post by **Inverted2** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 7:22 pm

Hope it wasn't a male flight attendant he got stuck with or he'll have some explaning to do!

Glory. · Post by **Glory.** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:14 pm

Pilots should be treated like Gods and not seen by the passengers

FL30 · Post by **FL30** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:21 pm

those aren't AC guys,....

JAZZ guys,.. and it's not Air Canada jazz,... it's Jazz

Justwannafly · Post by **Justwannafly** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:24 pm

LMAO those passengers must have felt a bit scared

As for the terrorist thing...OH COME ON!!!
You think that Terrorists are riding planes every day waiting for the one flight that has a jam'd cockpit door?

twice_banned · Post by **twice_banned** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:08 pm

bushguy wrote:those aren't AC guys,....

JAZZ guys,.. and it's not Air Canada jazz,... it's Jazz

Uh-huh, sure -- that's why every Jazz flight appears on ticket itineraries as "Air Canada 8454" or whatever. It never appears as "Jazz". Sorry about your AC complex.

"Air Canada Jazz" is the legal registered name of the Jazz division.

twice_banned · Post by **twice_banned** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:11 pm

So now the pilots dismantle the door in order to get back in...and to think the dumb SOB's on that flight into the US a few weeks ago called in the fighters when they had a "claustrophobic" passenger, apparently fearing for the safety of the aircraft.

The only way the safety of an aircraft can be endangered by a claustrophobic passenger, by the way, is if said passenger gains access to the cockpit, which obviously is not going to happen if the pilots can't even get back in.

Just one more story about the ridiculous circus that is commercial aviation.

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:30 pm

I can't wait for the movie!

Pratt · Post by **Pratt** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:46 pm

LinksInAChain wrote:LOL - Captains get hazed too?

Yeah, seriously - I fail to see the quality of a bulletproof door that can be dismantled from the hard side!!!

Links

You are right, that is why it was opened from the other side.

FL30 · Post by **FL30** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:54 pm

twice_banned wrote:
bushguy wrote:those aren't AC guys,....

JAZZ guys,.. and it's not Air Canada jazz,... it's Jazz
Uh-huh, sure -- that's why every Jazz flight appears on ticket itineraries as "Air Canada 8454" or whatever. It never appears as "Jazz". Sorry about your AC complex.

"Air Canada Jazz" is the legal registered name of the Jazz division.

right,.... which is why the pilot unions are the same....

Bugz · Post by **Bugz** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:51 pm

bushguy wrote:
twice_banned wrote:
bushguy wrote:those aren't AC guys,....

JAZZ guys,.. and it's not Air Canada jazz,... it's Jazz
Uh-huh, sure -- that's why every Jazz flight appears on ticket itineraries as "Air Canada 8454" or whatever. It never appears as "Jazz". Sorry about your AC complex.

"Air Canada Jazz" is the legal registered name of the Jazz division.
right,.... which is why the pilot unions are the same....

Who cares about unions. Are the pilot and maitenance unions the same, no, well must be two different companies by your logic. It says Air Canada Jazz right on the side of the plane. Give it up you AC guys and your mightier than thou attitude. You guys are all part of the same shit show, like it or leave it!

mellow_pilot · Post by **mellow_pilot** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:13 pm

All the money ends up under the same guy's mattress, so who cares?

And I'd be worried about something other than the hinges.

captain 999 · Post by **captain 999** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:22 am

Inverted2 wrote:Hope it wasn't a male flight attendant he got stuck with or he'll have some explaning to do!

Well, if it was a male flight attendant stuck with a female co-pilot, there'd still be some explaining to do!

CAL · Post by **CAL** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:39 am

cap 999 you with Jazz?

co-joe · Post by **co-joe** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:42 pm

I bet the fo was disapointed when the capt got back to his seat.

There's been a few guys I wouldn't mind locking in the back over the years. And one or two who slept the entire flight I didn't want to wake up either.

FL30 · Post by **FL30** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:19 pm

BOTTOM OF THE LIST- AIR CANADA JAZZ

bohica · Post by **bohica** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:27 pm

CO-JOE

I'm sure there are just as many or more that say the same about you.

Here It Comes Again

WJflyer · Post by **WJflyer** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:57 pm

Guys, from what I am aware, the cockpit door on the CRJ tends to stick every now and then. AC Jazz pilots are trained in how to remove the door (it can be done from inside the cockpit, without power tools and a couple of minutes) if needed. It is there because it happens to be a escape feature if the escape hatch is inoperative during a accident. Pretty much a non-event as far as emergencies goes.

co-joe · Post by **co-joe** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:51 am

bohica wrote:CO-JOE

I'm sure there are just as many or more that say the same about you.

Here It Comes Again

Apparently my feeble attempt at humour was lost on you.

BlueSkies12 · Post by **BlueSkies12** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:59 pm

although in the event that the pilot was unable to access the cockpit, the First Officer is trained to land the aircraft

I was unaware that the FO can land. Thank god for that. It's almost like he's a pilot as well.

Do you think the ticket is cheaper if it's on the FO's leg to fly?