Not sure how you'd ever make this mistake...

[johnbaker]

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2016/...rgency-exit-slide-while-looking-for-bathroom/

 

[Warren]

Normally I'd say only if you are drunk but a confused, first-time flyer probably also qualifies.

 

[sas80]

so....can the airline (qualified people) pack up the slide and re use? or is this like car air-bags? once deployed it's a major undertaking, and expensive, to get the system into a state of reliable re use?

 

[Sam]

I thought that the slide would not have come out, unless the cross check had been completed and the doors armed. Why was this done while the plane was still at the gate?

(I could be wrong, its been known to happen, but the way I read it the plane was still at the gate. And if it were ready for take off why was there still a line at the bathroom and the seat belt sign not on?)

 

[sas80]

I thought that the slide would not have come out, unless the cross check had been completed and the doors armed. Why was this done while the plane was still at the gate?

(I could be wrong, its been known to happen, but the way I read it the plane was still at the gate. And if it were ready for take off why was there still a line at the bathroom and the seat belt sign not on?)

We must be sure and note that, in as much as we are confused, it is, after all, being reported on FOX news

 

[kenish]

so....can the airline (qualified people) pack up the slide and re use? or is this like car air-bags? once deployed it's a major undertaking, and expensive, to get the system into a state of reliable re use?

Slide deployment takes a plane out of service for at least a day. Slides are folded and packed in a specific way, and powders and the atmosphere in the container are controlled to preserve the slide materials and aid in deployment. (Much the same as packing a parachute requires a FAA-certified rigger here in the US). The canisters of inflation gas must be replaced or repressurized too. I believe many slide systems are designed to be removed and replaced as a module so the plane can return to service by installing a new spare. Either way, everything has to be checked for correct installation back onto the plane.

Maybe the closest everyday analogy is a kid's party "bounce house" folded then packed in the size of a large suitcase by trained personnel...and it's connected to a scuba tank. On widebody aircraft, the bottom few feet of the passenger doors have a big bulge...that's where the slide is stored. The news item involved an A320 narrowbody.

 

[AMA]

I think it's very expensive to deflate and reattach them. There were a few articles about what it entails after that legendary flight attendant quit and decamped via the emergency slide.

 

[jsn55]

I thought that the slide would not have come out, unless the cross check had been completed and the doors armed. Why was this done while the plane was still at the gate?

(I could be wrong, its been known to happen, but the way I read it the plane was still at the gate. And if it were ready for take off why was there still a line at the bathroom and the seat belt sign not on?)

Just what I'm thinking, Sam, there are lots of holes in this story. But I understand that this kind of news gets attention and that's the name of the game.

 

[kenish]

Just what I'm thinking, Sam, there are lots of holes in this story.

Now that I check aviation sources, the Fox News story is reasonably good for general reading. The aircraft was an A321 and the door is next to a lavatory but not a normal boarding door. Since the plane was ready for push-back the door would be armed (or never disarmed) and cross-checked as required.

This was a domestic Chinese flight, so passengers and flight crew milling around (even during taxi) isn't surprising. I was on a flight in China and flight crew were walking the aisle rolling carts back to the galley *while we were landing*!!

What holes in the story did you spot?

 

[Tricia K.]

He plane was ready for pushback and there was a long line of people waiting to use the bathroom? How is that possible? At that point, everyone is supposed to be seated and buckled in.

 

[kenish]

He plane was ready for pushback and there was a long line of people waiting to use the bathroom? How is that possible? At that point, everyone is supposed to be seated and buckled in.

See post #9 above