Can an Airplane Door Really Open Mid-Flight?
Busting the Hollywood Myth
It’s one of the oldest airplane myths in the sky — and Hollywood loves it.
Someone lunges for the door mid-flight, tries to open it, and the cabin erupts into chaos.
But in real life?
That dramatic scene just isn’t possible.
Let’s bust the myth once and for all — and explain why even The Rock couldn’t muscle that door open at 35,000 feet.
The Short Answer: No, It’s Physically Impossible
Once an airplane is cruising at altitude, the cabin is pressurized — meaning the air inside the plane is held at a higher pressure than the thin atmosphere outside.
This difference creates a force that literally seals the doors shut.
How strong is that force? Try:
8+ pounds per square inch of pressure difference
Multiplied by the surface area of the door
That’s over 20,000 pounds of force holding it closed
You’d have a better chance arm-wrestling a freight train than opening that door in flight.
How Airplane Doors Actually Work
Most passenger aircraft use what's called a "plug-type" door — meaning the door is slightly larger than its frame and must be pulled inward first before it can open.
When the cabin is pressurized, there’s no way to pull the door inward — the pressure is too great. The door is essentially wedged into place by physics.
But What About in the Movies?
Hollywood doesn’t care about physics.
Films often show a panicked passenger ripping open the door mid-flight, causing explosive decompression and chaos. It makes for good drama — but bad science.
Even if someone could reach the handle, it wouldn’t budge. And modern cockpits and cabin crews are trained to intervene quickly if anyone tries.
What Does Happen in Real Emergencies?
In rare cases — like explosive decompression (think the Aloha Airlines roof incident in 1988) — pressure equalizes rapidly due to structural failure. But these are extremely rare, and not caused by someone opening the door.
Even in emergency landings, doors can’t be opened until the cabin pressure is safely released.