FORT WORTH- American Airlines (AA) flight 2140 from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Monterey (MRY) was delayed on Sunday after both pilots were locked out of the cockpit during boarding. Maintenance crews resolved the problem by climbing in through the cockpit window to release the door from the inside.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was scheduled to depart at 10:15 a.m. but pushed back at 11:57 a.m., a delay of about 90 minutes. Passengers were sent back up the jet bridge while technicians worked on what turned out to be a stuck cockpit door, not lost keys.
American Airlines Pilots Locked Out
Boarding had already started when a pilot stepped into the jet bridge and asked passengers to turn around and head back to the gate. The reason given was that the flight crew had been locked out of the cockpit and could not get back inside.
With the door sealed and no one seated within the cockpit, the crew called maintenance for help.
Technicians accessed the flight deck through the cockpit window and unlocked the door from the inside, the same method airlines use in similar lockout situations.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating the daily DFW to MRY service. Once the door was freed, the flight completed boarding and departed, arriving in Monterey behind schedule, View from the Wing reported.
Why The Delay Was Blamed On A Part
Passengers were initially told the hold-up was caused by waiting for a part. That part later turned out to be lubricant for the door mechanism.
The pilot afterward joked that maintenance had “lubed it up real good,” confirming that a worn or stiff latch, rather than a lost key, caused the issue.
This detail matters because much of the early online discussion suggested the pilots had misplaced a key. No evidence supports that claim. The malfunction pointed to a mechanical door or latch fault that needed servicing before the aircraft could fly.
How Pilots Get Locked Out Of A Cockpit
Modern cockpit doors are reinforced and designed to stay secured against unauthorized entry. That same security feature can work against the crew when the door closes with no one inside to release it.
A common cause is a passenger pushing the door shut while trying to reach the forward lavatory, leaving the flight deck empty and locked. The window entry method is a recognized workaround when this occurs.
A similar event happened on a Southwest Airlines (WN) flight from San Diego (SAN) to Sacramento (SMF) three years ago. A pilot climbed through the cockpit window to regain access after being locked out, showing this is a known, if rare, operational hiccup.
Context On Airline Delays
Most flight delays trace back to weather, mechanical issues, or crew scheduling. A cockpit lockout sits firmly in the maintenance category, even if the fix sounds unusual.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once joked about whether planes have keys and whether pilots quietly lose them and cause delays that the airline never explains. In this case, the truth was close to the punchline. The aircraft did not need a key. It needed a generous application of lubricant.
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