Patent ID: 6844817

Claim:
In an aircraft having a fuselage, a floor in said fuselage, a below-deck space in said fuselage below said floor, a cockpit in said fuselage above said floor, a cabin in said fuselage adjacent to said cockpit above said floor, a cockpit wall separating said cockpit from said cabin, and a cockpit door arranged in said cockpit wall to selectively open or close a passage through said cockpit wall between said cabin and said cockpit, an improvement comprising: an enclosed security cell arranged below said floor in said below-deck space at a location adjacent to and extending aft from said cockpit door, wherein said security cell is large enough and adapted to receive and confine a person therein; a trap door arrangement including a trap door arranged in said floor in said cabin at a location adjacent to and extending aft from said cockpit door, and a power actuator connected to said trap door to actuate said trap door to selectively open or close a passage through said floor from said cabin into said security cell; and at least one feature selected from the ground consisting of: a first feature wherein said security cell is structurally strong to withstand a firearm discharge and a bomb explosion, and a second feature wherein said security cell is airtight, said trap door is hermetically sealed when closed, and said improvement further comprises a knock-out gas source providing a knock-out gas, and a gas nozzle connected to said knock-out gas source and arranged in said security cell to introduce said knock-out gas into said security cell.