What happens if a planes emergency exit door is opened midair? A pilot reveals the truth

Is it opening the door to disaster?Bum-rushing the emergency exit on a plane has seemingly become a go-to move among those looking to make trouble at 30,000 feet.Now, air experts are weighing in on what happens when mile-high hellions attempt to activate the doorway to heaven — and the outcome is not so good.Dan Bubb, Ph.D., a former airline pilot and current aviation safety expert, explained that opening the emergency exit — which he noted is for evacuations — on the ground will cause the door to open and an inflatable slide to deploy, Reader’s Digest reported.That is because the air pressure in both the cabin and outside is equal, thereby allowing passengers to disengage the locking mechanism.While generally activated by a flight attendant during an emergency, the escape chute has notably been deployed by bozo passengers and crew members during non-emergencies as well.In December, a flight in Spain had to be evacuated after a panicky male passenger released the emergency slide while the plane was idling on the runway in stifling heat.A month later, a bumbling British Airways crew member cost the airline $122,000 after accidentally deploying the safety ramp.And in perhaps the most infamous example in 2010, then-JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater announced he was quitting, grabbed two beers from the drinks cart, opened the door and disappeared down the slide.But what happens when someone tries to pull the same trick in the sky? Absolutely nothing.

That phenomenon is due to the high pressure differential between the inside and outside of the aircraft — which effectively seals the plug-style doors in place.“The air pressure inside of the plane is much greater than the pressure outside of the plane,” explained Budd.

“This makes it exceedingly difficult to open the door.”American Airlines First Officer Steve Scheibner explained that to open the emergency door midflight, one would need to be able to lift 25,000 pounds, Travel + Leisure magazine re...