Pilot takes bathroom break, locks himself out of cockpit, has to break in

[Wonk]

before landing. I thought the new cockpit doors were supposed to be 'impenetrable' now?

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=ac82a8ec-3915-48f4-ad8d-e65274b8204a&k=44392

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.

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.

more...

[Eric J in MN]

1. They should re-design planes for a sealed off area at the front

...with its own bathroom for the pilots.

Opening the cockpit doors for bathroom breaks is an unnecessary security risk.

[skids]

2. How about just building it into the seat?

Maybe just a hole through the bottom. :silly:

Man, it's a good thing this guy had just taken a crap when he realized.

[mnhtnbb]

3. Absolutely. The last several flights I've made I've seen pilots

come out of the cockpit on all flights. Anyone with malicious intent would only need to wait for the moment.

[maseman]

5. This story is bullshit

If two people are in the cockpit how does the captain get locked out? All he'd have to do is knock and they would open the door. Also, the flight officer can land the plane so no one was in danger.

For the people posting above, there is no room in a CRJ for a bathroom. There is barely any room to move. You walk through the cockpit door and there are two seats and that is it. They check their luggae in at the gate in the back of the plane like everyone else.

[Qanisqineq]

6. That was my thought

Why didn't the people inside just open the door? And if the flight officer can't land the plane in an emergency (pilot indisposed), what good is s/he?

Weird.

[opihimoimoi]

7. Them two in the cockpit were enjoying a moment of JOY/P LEASURE

The pilot had to fuck it up by destroying the door...Damn

[Patchuli]

9. Our guess is

there was hanky-panky in the 'cockpit!' Someone's in trouble; bet on it! Geez louise...

[CrushTheDLC]

12. I usually question anything that comes from Canada.com

This is Conrad Black/Hollinger PNAC propaganda outlet #1 we're talking about here. Trying to overtake Murdoch/FAUX as the source of the most pure bullshit served up in the corporate media.

[Eric J in MN]

17. It would take a re-design to put a bathroom up front.

I'm not saying they could fit a bathroom into a cockpit without making the cockpit bigger.

[Wonk]

4. In an ideal world, sure, but can you imagine the expense of retrofitting

all that plumbing, even if there is room for it?

Maybe just give them a thunder mug with a sealable lid?

[Psephos]

8. Regional jets have no room whatsoever for such a thing

It's hard enough to imagine such an extravagant use of nonrevenue space on even a big jet.

Peace.

[FormerOstrich]

10. I have said the same for years...

but my theory takes it a bit further. I say convert part of the "first class" into a pilot "lounge". Have a wall between the "cockpit and lounge" and the passenger portion of the plane. The cockpit would have its own external entrance, as does the passenger. Once the plane is in the air...there is no way to access the cockpit (unless you want to take that giant step out the door).

Granted, it wouldn't work on all planes but it certainly would the larger ones.

[physioex]

11. Youre last sentence says it all....

There are too many planes that this would not be feasible. Just a few large aircraft like the 747 and A380. Plus this would complicate design of the emergency exit and so forth....

[Perky]

14. Umm Problems

Maybe it is just my movie imagination. But don't Pilots need access to the the passenger area on occassion too? for oh I dunno....visually inspecting a flap on the left wing because of an indicator light?

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Scaremongering horseshit...

apparently, the door was stuck, or the flight attendant and copilot were really into it.

They couldn't open it from the inside, and if there was a second flight attendant, her key didn't work so they took the door off the hinges. Big deal.

To me, it's just another funny airline story, like the one about the pilot who got suspended for a week because he walked to the cabin door with sunglasses and a white cane asking "First Officer, is it passengers or cargo today?"

Or the young flight engineer who pounded on the front wall of a 747 crying "There was a door here on the training module."

[CBGLuthier]

15. exactly, and thank you

Oh gosh TEROR, TERROR, security.

Why don't we redesign the entire world so no one can ever get within 50 feet of each other.

So now the greatest threat to us is our undersized bladders? Or the bad shrimp cocktail?

I see it now, them evil terrorists will infiltrate the coffeshops at airports and feed the pilots bad food.

Isn't that the plot of a Tom Clancy novel?

[warrior1]

16. Good thing he was

in a bathroom. :evilgrin:

[karlrschneider]

18. Maybe the flight attendant was blowing up the autopilot...

nyuk nyuk...

But seriously, if this really happened that way it was no big deal. Maybe the door or the lock malfunctioned, shit happens...it's not like the empennage fell off. Sheesh.
:eyes: