The cabin crew serve not only passengers but also the pilots. They are also (presumably) trustworthy employees that have a very low chance of having malicious intent. Since calling the pilots and asking for them to unlock the cockpit door every time the cabin crew comes to serve a meal or drink is pretty inconvenient, can they enter the cockpit without the explicit immediate approval of the pilots? Such as having the enter passcode or something similar. Or is there too much of a safety concern by doing so? What is the current situation? Also, if they have anything to report and can't reach the pilots by phone, can they go into the cockpit to check what's happening?
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asked 16 hours ago
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1$\begingroup$ Yeah, it is inconvenient. Security procedures usually are! $\endgroup$– Darth PseudonymCommented 9 hours ago
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$\begingroup$ If it was possible to enter the cockpit without the pilots authorising it, neither Germanwings Flight 9525 nor (presumably) MH370 would have ended the way they did. The reaction to the former is that in most cases, a pilot is not allowed to remain in the cockpit alone: when one of them needs to exit, a cabin crew member will remain in the cockpit in the meantime, or some equivalent procedure. $\endgroup$– jcaronCommented 3 hours ago
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$\begingroup$ @jcaron You can read the links on your article, it is possible to open the Germanwings A320 flight deck door without pilots authorizing it. It's just the pilots have a means to block to that access: there's an override to the override. See the answer below. $\endgroup$– user71659Commented 2 hours ago
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1 Answer
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In general, the cabin crew cannot access the flight deck of a passenger airliner without the pilot's explicit action to open the door. Normal procedure is to call the flight deck and ask for entry. There is also an emergency system with a secret code to allow access to the flight deck in case of pilot incapacitation, but the system still allows the pilots to reject entry. This is necessary in case of a hostage situation where cabin crew might be forced to enter this code.
For example, on the Boeing 777 the system works like this:
1 Keypad
Push - enters 3 to 8 digit emergency access code by pressing numeric then "ENT" keys. Entry of correct emergency access code sounds flight deck chime.2 Access Lights
Illuminated (red) - door locked or Flight Deck Access System switch OFF.
Illuminated (amber) - correct emergency access code entered.
Illuminated (green) - door unlocked.[...]
The emergency access code is used to gain access to the flight deck in case of pilot incapacitation. Annunciation of a flight deck chime and illumination of the amber AUTO UNLK light indicates the correct emergency access code has been entered and the door is programmed to unlock after a time delay. Selecting the DENY position on the door lock selector denies entry and prevents further keypad entry for several minutes. To allow entry, the selector is turned to the UNLKD position which unlocks the door while held in that position. If the emergency access code is entered and the pilot takes no action, the door unlocks after expiration of the time delay. Before the door unlocks, the chime sounds continuously and the AUTO UNLK light flashes.
By pressing "1" then "ENT" keys on the emergency access panel, the flight deck chime will sound (if programmed).
(Boeing 777 FCOMv2 1.30 - Airplane General, Emergency Equipment, Doors, Windows: Flight Deck Emergency Access Panel)
