New Doors Causing Cockpit Problems
WASHINGTON — American Airlines Flight 2885 to Orange County was 35,000 feet over Kansas when the captain was banged on the head, leaving him unable to fly the plane. A 12-pound panel in one of the new fortified cockpit doors had suddenly popped open and struck him.
British Airways Flight 146 from Calcutta to London was cruising over Europe when the pilots noticed a burning smell. Unable to find its source, the captain declared an emergency. The pilots donned oxygen masks and landed the Boeing 747 in Latvia. The problem: an overheated electrical component in a new anti-hijacking door.
The incidents this year are examples of glitches that suggest the new "fortress" cockpit doors are hardly foolproof. Publicly available documents show there have been at least 35 reported incidents involving problems with the operation of the doors since August 2002.
Even as industry and government fix operational problems, some pilots are questioning the overall design of the doors. They must be opened for pilots to use the bathroom and receive food and drink, creating a clear vulnerability. United Airlines is considering a second barrier -- perhaps a Kevlar net -- for better security.
The fortified doors, required by U.S. and international aviation authorities after the Sept. 11 attacks, were designed to withstand extreme pounding and a hail of bullets. Developed and installed in record time, they are considered a crucial defense in the war on terrorism.
But the security door might be opened a dozen or more times on a long flight, said Robert M. Semprini, a New York-based Boeing 737 co-pilot who often flies from coast to coast. "That's a huge loophole," he said.
"If a passenger sees a pilot walk out of the cockpit to go to the lavatory, they know the guy's got to go back in," said Semprini, who has proposed his own design for backup doors.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the fortified doors are a vast improvement over their flimsy predecessors. Some minor glitches were to be expected, but all problems have been or are being resolved, the agency said -- with no compromise of security or safety.
"We do not see any type of problem regarding the doors in the U.S. fleet," said Alison Duquette, an FAA spokeswoman. "They are working very well."
However, FAA Associate Administrator Nicholas Sabatini recently described the door requirements as "the minimum acceptable" standard.
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