Overall, industry officials and security experts estimate that thousands of commercial jets world-wide still require some type of cockpit-door modification airlines also are under the gun to fix cockpit doors on hundreds more Airbus A320s or other commonly used Airbus models. Regulators from the U.S., Europe and other countries are scrambling to ensure that airlines complete mandated repairs in the coming months on some 800 Boeing Co. Times staff writer Christine Mai-Duc contributed to this report.Airlines and aviation authorities around the globe are worried that cockpit door locks installed on at least 1,600 widely used jetliners to keep intruders from accessing flight decks might be defective, according to people familiar with the details. Within hours, however, German airlines agreed to change the policy and will now require a flight attendant in the cockpit if a pilot steps out to go to the restroom or to get a drink. Until this week’s crash, that didn’t happen on Lufthansa planes in Europe, according to the airline’s top official, who spoke Thursday at a news conference. “A qualified crew member could be a flight attendant or a relief pilot serving as part of the crew.” If a pilot steps out of the cockpit, “another qualified crew member must lock the door and remain on the flight deck until the pilot returns to his or her station,” the FAA said in a statement Thursday. It’s forbidden in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. What are the policies for leaving someone alone in a cockpit? Investigators have not said whether the pilot locked out of the Germanwings cockpit tried to use a keypad to access the cockpit, or whether the copilot toggled the lock switch to override emergency access. In case of an electrical supply failure, the cockpit door is automatically unlocked, but remains closed.” “The UNLOCK position overrides and resets any previous selection. “If the LOCK position has not been used by the pilot for at least 5 to 20 min, the cabin crew is able to request emergency access to open the cockpit door,” the Airbus manual states. If the “lock” toggle is selected, the outside keypad is then disabled for five to 20 minutes or until the pilot decides to unlock the door, according to the training materials. The flight crew in the cockpit also has the option of denying emergency access by hitting a “lock” toggle, according to the Airbus training materials. What happens if the pilots in the cockpit do not want someone to open the door? ![]() If there’s no response from the cockpit by the end of the alert, the door automatically unlocks for five seconds and can be opened from outside, according to the training video.īut without the emergency access code, “you’re not going to get in,” says Glen Winn, an instructor at the University of Southern California’s school of aviation safety and security. If there is no response from the cockpit for a request to open the door, the flight crew can enter an override code on the keypad, which also sets off a 30-second alert in the cockpit, according to the training video. Is there any way to open a cockpit door from the outside? ![]() An Airbus manual and instructional video available online shows that a buzzer then sounds in the cockpit, and the pilot or pilots at the controls can decide whether to toggle a switch to unlock the door. On Airbus jets, access is requested via a keypad outside the cockpit door. experts say.Īccess for Airbus A320 jets is controlled from the cockpit, with only a limited option for outside override. 11 attacks, pilots and flight attendants no longer have keys to open the cockpit door, which remains locked during flight, U.S. How do flight crews normally open a cockpit door? “I know in the U.S., post 9/11, the cockpit door is the most secure door on the plane,” said Anthony Brickhouse, associate professor of safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
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