Question for AA Pilots

[blueridge71]

Coincidentally, I had seen a link to the 9/11 pilots for truth website as well. The link that I saw claimed that the cockpit door on AA77 (Pentagon) was monitored on the FDR and that the door never opened.

This strikes me as a suspicious claim for a couple of reasons, but so far I haven't been able to find the answer.

Hardened cockpit doors were not mandated until after 9/11, so does anyone know if cockpit doors were monitored before 9/11? I'm not even sure that they are monitored on the FDR today.

What was AA's policy regarding cockpit doors in flight prior to 9/11? I understand that in the old days cockpit doors may have been left open intentionally on some airlines.

 

[blueridge71]

I think that I found a good answer on the 9/11 cockpit door question in case anyone is interested.

An acquaintance who worked in the training department at Delta Air Lines before and after 9/11 agrees that cockpit doors were probably not monitored. He suspects that the monitoring parameter on the FDR, if it actually existed at all, may have represented an electric mechanism that allowed the pilots to unlock the cockpit door without getting out of their seats. This mechanism could be monitored, but the door could also be opened manually.

He also notes that the sound of the door opening might have been picked up on the cockpit voice recorder. Unfortunately, CVRs only record for about 30 minutes. Additionally, according to the NTSB report, the CVR was extensively damaged and the magnetic tape inside was “fused into a solid block of charred plastic.” A photo of the CVR shows the damage from the crash.


http://www.examiner.com/conservativ...yths-cockpit-doors-marvin-bush-and-building-7

 

[Mr Hat]

There's a quick and dirty answer....9/11 pilots for truth are wacknuts. There was no inside job, Al-Qaeda got one over on us as advertised. Now the government dropped the ball in not catching these guys before hand, especially with the warnings that were going on all summer in 01.....but as for who attacked us.

 

[glasspilot1]

I agree with everything Mr Hat said in last post.

The pre 9-11 paper mache doors were not monitored by the FDR.

 

[SLUF4]

I've never seen a CVR that messed up. That illustrates the forces involved.

 

[JohnQ]

What kills me is that pre-9/11 there was a case of an Alaska Airlines flight when a crazy passenger (who later was found to have no criminal history, but had encephalitis) busted through the cockpit door of an MD-88, and the captain made a PA asking the pax to restrain him while the F/O held him off with the escape axe.

Did anyone think that cockpit security might be something important to dwell upon? Apparently only Al Queda did.

 

[habubuaza]

I was of the understanding that at least one perhaps more of the 9/11 hijackers were actually disguised as airline pilots jump-seating. That could be a possible reason as to why there may not have been evidence of the cockpit door opening. I have no proof of that, you can chalk it up to the rumor mill if there is no hard evidence out there.

However, I do recall a security memo pre 9/11 regarding some pilot uniforms and ids that were stolen from a major carrier. I believe this occurred in Rome.

 

[glasspilot1]

I was of the understanding that at least one perhaps more of the 9/11 hijackers were actually disguised as airline pilots jump-seating.

The hijackers were not disguised as pilots. Remember the video of them passing through security? I remember the Boston video.

The state of cockpit security before 9/11 was pretty piss-poor in hindsight. All the keys were exactly the same. Many of the F/A's had a key on them. I believe they easily got a key and walked right into the cockpits.

 

[AA717driver]

AA's pre-9/11 policy was for the FA's to use their key and enter the cockpit without contacting the pilots. It's irrelevant since they had no problem getting into the UAL (or any other airline's) cockpit.

Security sucked before 9/11. It still sucks and it will always suck as long as we have politicians making the rules.

Hire El Al to design aircraft security procedures and we'll talk.

TC

 

[Mr Hat]

I remember forgetting to lock the door (more like a divider in the E145) and jumping when I realized the FA just walked in and was standing over me with snacks and stuff. They've re-enforced the doors now but I used to use my blockbuster card to open the door if Mx accidently locked it the night before.