A passenger aboard an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dubai opened a cabin door and fell to the tarmac before takeoff Monday evening, injuring themselves and causing lengthy delays.
The plane, a Boeing 777, was sitting on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport preparing for takeoff when the incident took place.
Air Canada confirmed to Global News that during the boarding of flight AC056, a passenger “who had boarded the aircraft normally,” opened a cabin door on the opposite side of the aircraft, instead of going to their seat while the aircraft was at the gate.
As a result, the passenger sustained injuries falling to the tarmac, and emergency services and authorities were called in.
They probably brushed up against the door and it fell out.
I imagine it just popped out and they rushed to blame it on the nearest passenger. “HE DID IT!!! It’s not the plane’s fault!”
The plane was on the ground, stopped, during boarding. So the plane is unpressurized and cannot “pop” a door in this context.
it being unpressurized is the only way to open these doors. and most of them do kind of “pop” as they have hydraulics to help when you open them
It can if Boeing quality was there.
Important to note that airplane doors literally cannot be opened while the plane is pressurized, as it is during flight. There are several tons of air pressure holding them shut. This sort of mishap is only possible on the ground.
Should probably have some kind of anti-idiot lock on it anyway, but maybe it did and this was just a particularly clever idiot.
Maybe it’s ok because they are a limo driver.
How was work? Not bad… fell off the jetway again.
“Hey, is this the bathroom door? I gotta pee.”
Sounds like they were just not aware of how planes look from the inside, and thought that was the way to their seat? But to fall out, they must have been a bit next to themselves. Wonder if some sort of mental issue, fatigue or drugs was at play, or if it was really just not knowing what they were doing.
a passenger “who had boarded the aircraft normally,” opened a cabin door on the opposite side of the aircraft, instead of going to their seat while the aircraft was at the gate.
How did this happen? Isn’t there usually a flight attendant standing right there as you board the plane?
How did this happen? Isn’t there usually a flight attendant standing right there as you board the plane?
Yes, but the 777 has two aisles. Here’s the Air Canada seat map. The flight attendant greeting passengers would be by the first aisle, directing passengers down the correct aisle for their seat. This passenger might have been directed to the second aisle, and rather than turning down the aisle they went straight across to opposite exit door. Or they might have used one of the other doors. The 777 has 10 full-sized doors, 5 on each side of the plane. Two of those doors open onto the wings, one of those would have been used for boarding, maybe two if first-class passengers get a separate air bridge, but that still leaves 6 or 7 doors where there isn’t likely to be a flight attendant to notice a passenger doing something stupid.
Usually but if someone needed additional assistance, there was a commotion, or it was just a stressful day then it’s quite possible someone could lunge for the handle before anyone could intercede.
