I was doing a Google search looking for information on emergency exits and found this.



Quote from a travel website.



US Air #1064 Pittsburgh to LGA. 11:45, Sunday, May 9.



I'm in the exit row aisle seat. Directly across the aisle from me is a

man of considerable girth which, as you'll learn, has an inverse relationship to his common sense. He had all three seats to himself.



The shade on the window was down so the flight attendant says to him, "sir, you need to open the window for takeoff." Five minutes later, as we are in our taxi from the gate to the runway, she comes back and says, "sir, please open the window for takeoff." He looks at her like she has two heads and does nothing. She repeats, "sir, the window needs to be open for takeoff" and attempts to climb over him to open it. He finally catches on and unbuckles his seat belt to move towards the window. At this point, we're going maybe 15 miles an hour give or take a few.



He gets to the window and proceeds to literally OPEN THE EMERGENCY EXIT!



She screams, "what are you doing!?! Stop the plane, tell them to stop!!"



The plane stops, pilot comes back, man moves away from the row and now-open emergency exit - I mean, it was totally off.



I didn't' know if I wanted to kill the guy or hug him, because he was sweating and obviously humiliated, but come on - what an idiot.



Anyway, pilot puts it back on w/ ease and we proceed on our way. The kicker is, they let the guy stay in the exit row. I mean, that's go to be some sort of violation or serious hazard. Here you have a system that says you can't sit in the exit row if you don't speak English, but apparently it's fine if you're dumb enough to open the exit while the plane is preparing for takeoff.



Yikes.



May 11, 2004 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well maybe it's for the best. If idiocy were a crime, there would be no room in the prisons for the other criminals.

Geronimo

Well, had the stupid bitch (a product of our public school system, perhaps?) told him to raise the window shade instead of 'open the window', he might not have felt pressured to pop the emergency exit (if you've noticed, they make an announcement that it is against the law to not obey the flight crews commands ).

George

I agree with George. What do you expect from a Flying waitress??

GeorgeS:

Honestly, I think you're being too hard on the flight attendant. I went to boarding school with a number of guys from Massachusetts. They would say "Draw the shades". Do you know what that means the first time you hear it? (Yes, we NY guys always rode them about it and would sneeringly imitate their accent. Is this really the "United" States?)

George

Well Shit happens. I bet that guy paid in spades feeling like a azz for the rest of the fight. I worked for the airlines for several years. Some people just get frazzled when they fly. Others turn into flaming self absorbed AZZ holes that have no consideration for others. If this fellows girth alone offended, It probably wouldn't have taken much more to trip the writers trigger. I bet it really would have their your corn flakes if they sat the obeese chap in question next to the writer.

While we are discussing intelligence, how did it come to pass that this person was seated in those seats in the first place? Depending on his actual size, it may have been an error to seat him there, based simply on his size.

It does seem like the Airlines excersized a good dose of stupidity. But then what would you expect from US Air....The deadliest American airline in history with more safety violations than a few of the biggies combined. I have seen their flights grounded for violations...IE Cooking the maintenace books. When I worked for the airlines it was not uncommon for them to try to rent ground service trucks because their "Mechanics" were so lame they couldn't even keep the trucks running. I'll let you guys on a little secret I share with all my family and friends. NEVER EVER fly US Air. I'm still trying to figure out why the plane couldn't take off with out the shades down.

"I'm still trying to figure out why the plane couldn't take off with out the shades down."



In response, remember that the flight attendants always say, "In the event of a water landing, you will find floatation cushions below the seat" or some other rapidly spoken drivil.. So.. It's my speculation (even though you are probably already dead as do-do) that shades are required to be up so you can see (assuming, that is, your head is still attached to your body) whether you crashed in a corn field or in the ocean.. as if it made a frapping difference.



Actually, I believe that the FAA believes that all available light should be able to enter the plane in the event of a total power loss due to impact (at landing or take-off). I guess that makes sense. Folks gotta see to get out of the plane, I reckon.

You're right Judge,
No sense being in the middle of a big fireball and not being able to enjoy the view.

LMAO, yeah especially on US Air. 5 fatal crashes in 5 years. I definaely want to be able to see that balloon shoot that the FAA now says won't inflate 50% of the time when I dive out of that exit ! Let me tell you friends when your standing outside the fuselage even on a 737 it's a LOOOOOOONG ways down. Did any one bring the marshmallows ?

I couldn't let this one pass without commmenting...

As an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector, there are several things wrong here. First, allowing an individual in the E- exit row who is not "willing and able to perform the safety functions related to emergency exit egress" is a no-no for the airline and the person. Next, they should never have pushed off the gate without preparations for takeoff having already been made. Third, refusing to obey the instructions of a uniformed crew member is a violation. Finally, and this is the worst one...the pilot putting the E-exit hatch back in??? He isn't authorized to perform 'maintenance', which this procedure qualifies as, also, it requires a "RII" signoff in the aircraft maintenance log. "RII"= Required Inspection Item, which requires an "RII qualified" mechanic to inspect the installation.

For you folks who may be thinking "no wonder the airlines can't make any money- the FAA is always screwing with them" remember that you are strapping yourself into an aluminum tube in preparation to go 500+mph through a rarified atmosphere devoid of oxygen levels sufficient to sustain life. This stuff is important!

The shades had to be open in order to allow a person readying themselves to open the exit (in the event of an evacuation) to determine whether a fire exists outside that exit.

It IS a long ways to the ground from the entry doors on a 737, but the e- exits being discussed are over-wing and the passengers exit, turn, and slide down the flaps onto the ground.

Its alot farther to the ground on a 777! Check out this story- I am the Inspector who discovered the United violation...

http://www.katu.com/business/story.asp?ID=68016

Which leads me to believe the whole initial post here is just more internet BS.

I'm with J.C.Noak on this one. If we are about to crash into a mountain or big building, I'd at least like to be able to watch. I ain't never seen a plane wreck in real time before and wouldn't want to miss the once-in-a-lifetime view of it.