Would you save the exit door?
 

On many airplanes the exit row emergency door instructions say you are supposed to take the door and place it across a row of seats "so as not to obstruct the emergency exit." Are there any here among us who wouldn't just chuck the thing out the door? If not, why not?

I never knew they wanted it placed on the seats. That doesn't make sense at all. Can you picture a real emergency where that door slid down onto the floor and really jammed up the works.

No, I always figured it would get chucked out the window.

Rita

BECAUSE IT WONT FIT THRU THE HOLE.

In a planned evacuation, where we have time to prepare the cabin, you guys at the emergency exits would be briefed on operation of the exit. The person next to the window would be advised to check for fire or other hazards before opening...the person at the aisle in that row would be advised to hold others back until the exit is fully opened...and the person at the window in front of (or behind, depending on the aircraft) the exit will be advised to take the window from the first person - lay it across your seat, then get out.

If you just chucked it out the window onto the wing, then everyone scrambling out of that exit is going to trip over it in the melee - possibly falling off the wing and badly injuring themselves in the process. Can you imagine the pile of bodies? Sadly, this is why many people are injured during an evac after surviving a crash unscathed.

Additionally, the overwing exits on some aircraft are equipped with ramps and slides off the wing - throwing the door out the exit could damage the slide.

In an unplanned evacuation however, you wouldn't have the benefit of this briefing - and hopefully you'd have looked over the safety information cards before takeoff so that everything is fresh in your mind. We've discussed this before here in other threads regarding the safety measures on board - just because you don't fully understand the reasoning behind a policy doesn't mean it would be better to change it. There are reasons behind all of the ways and means on board - most of them come from examining past incidents and learning from them. Following the instructions (or at the very least, asking your FA's about them if you have questions) will make the situation much easier!

:)

If I remember correctly, on a CRJ you are supposed to throw out the window exit. It will fit through the opening if you turn it sideways. On a large plane that would be hard due to its weight, but on the mouse-sized CRJ it's probably five pounds. :)

If that is the case, it makes sense to me. The exit row on a CRJ looks just like all the others -- crammed. There is no place to keep it in the cabin. Besides, once you get through the exit (this only works if your waist size is less than 36"), you're only a few inches from the ground. Who cares if a little door is in the way.

Reading the safety card and exit hatch instructions is informative, as they do vary considerably. Some instruct removing the hatch and placing it across the seats, others to remove the hatch, hold it on end, and chuck it out the hatch opening. And some time, it may be more than informative - it may be vital.

I don't remember if it's the CRJ or not, but I do recall that there is at least one aircraft in the UA/UX fleet where the pictoral instructions on the exit-door sticker indicate to throw the door out of the plane. Most say put it on the seat, which does seem the quicker/easier/safer route as long as there isn't a stampede of shoving people behind the door opener. Considering they always emphasize the weight of the doors, I've wondered how far an out-of-shape pax could throw it, but you're probably right about the net-weight of CRJ doors.

^ to the designers of the exit doors for specifying procedure this on the door-sticker and not just on the safety card. (though the door weight is sometimes but not always stated) I'll admit to not checking the safety card, but I do always check the door sticker as the door opening procedures (handle placement, direction, etc.) and door "throwing" procedures :) seem to vary somewhat between aircraft.

My favorite so far is 1R (so not a wing exit) on some sort of UX ERJ I was on a while ago. There's a giant sign to the effect of "warning 5 foot drop" on the door. I guess the plane is too low to justify a slide but too high to just jump out of without warning. Going to be a lot of broken legs if they have to evacuate that thing. . . .

Thats like asking a passenger to take their shoes off.

On a Saab 2000, instructions are clearly to throw the door out. The security cards depicts a woman throwing the door, with a label "23 pounds, 10,5 kg".

ha!

Just don't throw the shoes out the window. ;)

Glad to see the others mentioning the regional jets and their differences - clearly, it's just important to scan the procedures for each airplane you're on as they can vary. My favorite window exit, one I wish were put into wider use, is the gull-wing exit. It's on many of the next generation Boeings - just pull the handle and up it flips. You won't even break a nail. :D

I heard from a pilot a while ago that the reason for keeping the door is that it is worth over a hundred thousand dollars. Throwing it out would seriously damage it. If the aircraft survived the emergency landing reasonably well (most emergency landings do not result in the loss of the plane), the loss of the door would hurt the airline.

Randomman

Well, most emergency landings don't require the use of the emergency exits either. I believe this pilot was blowing smoke. In a true emergency, requiring evacuation on slides, the cost of the door surely cannot be a factor.

Could be part of it...I doubt they're that valuable though - it costs less than that to replace a slide.

Even if the door were worth $1,000,000 , no company would risk saving the door if it increased the danger of a passenger getting injured or killed.

Different aircraft have different configurations, as flymeaway pointed out. It's best to handle <pun> the door as advised by the safety briefing card, sign over the exit, or crew indicate.

Is that why the emergency exits aren't round? ;)