Evacuation Slide - Window Exits

Window Exits

None of the aircraft have escape slides on the main doors of the plane, but do not have slides over the wings, because when the flaps are fully lowered, the wings are low enough to the ground that passengers can evacuate safely. Some of these aircraft are the Embraer 190, Boeing 707, 717, 727 and 737. However, other aircraft require the use of overwing slides for the window exits to ensure that passengers can reach the ground quickly and safely. These include the Boeing 767, Boeing 757, and Airbus A320-series aircraft. Typically, overwing evacuation slides are not designed for use in ditching situations as they cannot be detached and will not operate, as the system is disabled by the aspirators on the slide taking in water, and Boeing recommends disarming the doors of a 747 before opening in a ditching situation.

Window exits usually come in two configurations:

• An unhinged hatch type exit, where the hatch is unlocked from the inside and pulled into the cabin, whereupon it can be disposed. Some carriers recommend placing the hatch onto the adjacent seats, while others may recommend dropping it in the next seat row, or rotating the exit and throwing it outside the aircraft as far forward as possible. A manual inflation handle for the evacuation slide, if equipped, can be found in the window frame. Most aircraft overwing exits are of this type.
• A hinged "self disposing" exit hatch, that opens automatically outward using a spring when the exit handle is pulled. This exit design was designed in response to research generated after the Manchester air disaster in 1985 which indicated that unhinged hatch type exits were difficult to open by untrained passengers. This design is currently found only on Boeing 737 NG aircraft.

Window exits are usually equipped with "ditching" or "life" lines. These may be attached to the inside frame of the window exit, or located in a nearby storage locker. One end has a buckle to connect to attachments on the aircraft's wings.