Note to airplane pilots: pee before take-off !!

[Cartooniverse]

Okay, this is amazing. Next time, the pilot might want to pee before taking off the airplane. Yes?

Thank god they had the tools and wherewithal to remove the door. Then again, isn’t it true that the whole idea is that the co-pilot can fly the plane and do the pilot’s job in it’s entirety in case the pilot is incapacitated?

Still…must’ve been scary up in First Class. :eek:

Cartooniverse

[Sunspace]

Oh great. This is the airline I’m flying to Sault Ste. Marie on the 13th. (It’s not like I had a choice…)

[Llama_Llogophile]

This rarely happens to me in my Piper Cherokee…

And no, from the link’s description I doubt there was any real danger. To land the plane solo would have been unusual, but probably do-able. I’m guessing the co-pilot would have had to move over to the left seat because very often the ground steering tiller is only on the captain’s side in airliners.

[Johnny_L.A]

Solution.

[constanze]

Nice case of Urban Legend.

There’s too much about this legend that rings false for it to be taken seriously by those inclined to believe it. Several keys to the cockpit are stashed in various locations around the plane, obviating the notion that the pilot could be locked out. Cockpit doors are not spring-loaded and thus don’t snap shut when released. Indeed, by FAA rules, when the plane is on the ground, that door remains open. Passengers who have boarded and deplaned will recall that the cockpit door is always open at those moments, without anyone’s struggling to hold it open.

On second reading, I see that the door was apparently stuck, not just fallen shut, but still …

(snip)… and no point was the plane in danger. As per established procedure, the first officer remained on the flight deck throughout the pilot’s absence; therefore, even if the pilot had remained locked out of the cockpit for the rest of the flight, the first officer was also fully qualified to land the aircraft and could have brought the plane down safely on his own.

[Rick]

@constanze

Nice case of Urban Legend.

On second reading, I see that the door was apparently stuck, not just fallen shut, but still …

You really should have read to the bottom of your own link.

News accounts described an incident involving a pilot’s being unable to re-enter the cockpit during a flight on 26 August 2006 when, after completing his bathroom break, the pilot of Air Canada Jazz Flight 8475 reportedly found himself unable to regain entry to the flight deck during the 2.5 hour flight between Ottawa and Winnipeg because the closed cockpit door had become stuck. It took approximately ten minutes for the crew to remove the door from its hinges and so return him to the controls. However, there was no report of a fire axe being used to chop through the door, and no point was the plane in danger. As per established procedure, the first officer remained on the flight deck throughout the pilot’s absence; therefore, even if the pilot had remained locked out of the cockpit for the rest of the flight, the first officer was also fully qualified to land the aircraft and could have brought the plane down safely on his own.

:smack:

[Klaatu]

Weirdly enough, this is the same type of aircraft that just crashed in Kentucky.

[Klaatu]

cite for my above post.

[Cartooniverse]

@constanze

Nice case of Urban Legend.

You’re new here, so allow me to guide you a bit. When calling someone on b.s., it’s usually considered good form to come back and apologize when proven to be 100 % wrong in the calling of the b.s. No big deal, we all do it now and then and generally it’s good for some ribbing and that’s all.

And, welcome to the Straight Dope !

Mach Tuck, yeah it did read from the story as though the co-pilot could have handled things but still, it is a bit unnerving. They might consider using biometric I.D. touchpads… just in case.

Cartooniverse