Line #447 Main/AirVentPassageway


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10	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/RegularShow https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/regular_show_mordecai_and_rigby_in_the_vents.png]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:350: Raccoons in the vents? Makes sense, but blue jays too?]]
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13	->''"Buildings have giant ventilation shafts where (a) the hero can access any room in the building and (b) no one ever thinks of looking for him."''
14	-->-- ''Vanity Fair'''s [[https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2002/4/hollywood-rule-book Hollywood Rule Book]]
15
16	It's the only move a villain can make that's stupider than LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard (or any room with a {{bed\|sheetLadder}}). When heroes find themselves trapped in a room with all doors and windows locked, the quickest exit is always through the ventilation duct. Air vents also work excellently in reverse for breaking ''in'' and infiltrating a facility.
17
18	Openings are within reach, covers require little effort to remove, the ducts themselves can support the weight of a person and are wide enough in diameter to allow an adult to pass through, there are no internal obstacles except for the occasional DeadlyRotaryFan blocking the branching corridors, they are free of normal sheet metal's dangerously sharp edges, they [[AcousticLicense are totally soundproof]], [[InsecurityCamera there are no security cameras]], and [[HollywoodDarkness there's never a lack of light]] or chance of getting lost unless the plot calls for it.
19
20	And the escapee always emerges [[DirtForcefield without having picked up so much as a speck of dust]].
21
22	A smart villain would have smaller air ducts, post guards around the openings, or line their ducts with barbed wire and broken glass. It even appears near the top of the EvilOverlordList.
23
24	This is practically a DiscreditedTrope by now, and requires some effort to {{justif\|iedTrope}}y if it's to be used seriously. Despite that, [[TruthInTelevision it does happen once in a while in real life]]. Frank Morris and his accomplices escaped from Alcatraz using the large ventilation duct that led them to the roof. And that leads to knowing that large industrial, commercial and construction complexes need to have enough air flow to manage their needs (like hot equipment or extremely deep locations for personnel use), which often requires a large ventilation system. It's not practical in general use though, still, as grates bolted in place still block your entrance and getting towards office space will shrink the vents.
25
26	Some large universities (MIT and Caltech in particular) have longstanding "steam tunnel spelunkers" clubs, who often use air ducts (among other things) for exploring, getting around campus quickly, or pulling pranks. Readers of this trope should be advised that this is [[DontTryThisAtHome extremely dangerous]], not to mention [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope illegal]] -- steam tunnels are usually hot, cramped, and frequently criss-crossed by scalding-hot piping, and explorers face trespassing charges and possible academic sanctions if they're discovered within[[note]]In other words, [[Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone you could get killed — or worse, expelled!]][[/note]]. Disney, meanwhile, has taken the concept of utility tunnels and turned them into the Utilidor system used at their parks, which allows staff to quickly move from one area to another without ever needing to break the suspension of disbelief by wandering about in their uniform on the surface.
27
28	Most RealLife attempts to sneak in or out via air duct aren't very successful, since people tend to be fairly large and ducts tend to be fairly small, plus the fact that air can bend at ninety degree angles and fit through grates much more readily. There have been numerous cases where [[StupidCrooks enterprising criminals]] have attempted to rob a store by sneaking through the ducts and end up getting stuck. The usual ending is the embarrassed criminal being either pulled or cut out of the duct by the fire department and then promptly handed over to the authorities. That is if they don't crash through the ceiling when the vent gives way under their weight.
29
30	Compare AbsurdlySpaciousSewer for a similar trope which takes place beneath buildings rather than in them. Compare InsideAWall. Also see ChimneyEntry.
31
32	----
33	!!Example subpages:
34	[[index]]
35	* AirVentPassageway/AnimeAndManga
36	* AirVentPassageway/FanWorks
37	* [[AirVentPassageway/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
38	* AirVentPassageway/{{Literature}}
39	* AirVentPassageway/LiveActionTV
40	* AirVentPassageway/VideoGames
41	* AirVentPassageway/{{Webcomics}}
42	* AirVentPassageway/WesternAnimation
43	[[/index]]
44
45	!!Other examples:
46
47	[[foldercontrol]]
48
49	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
50	* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy''
51	** In the original series, [=BoBoiBoy=] gets around Adu Du's spaceship undetected by crawling through the air vents, firstly to retrieve back his cocoa the aliens stole from him, and again to release his friends who were kidnapped by Adu Du.
52	** In ''[=BoBoiBoy=] Galaxy'', the alien mime Panto infiltrates the TAPOPS station, using the vents to steal power spheras, while his teammate Jokertu, the alien jester, acts as a distraction.
53	* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': In episode 8, Big M. and Little M. crawl through an air vent to reach the heroes and make them sick with their cold.
54	* In the ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' episode "Lamput Meets Tuzki", Lamput and Tuzki travel through a ventilation passage in the laboratory to escape from the docs. The docs use a hose to spray water through the vent in an attempt to get them out.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
58	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio adventure "The Apocalypse Element".
59	-->'''Evelyn:''' There must be some other way. An inspection hatch, or even, God help us, a ventilation shaft!
60	* Played straight in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the ''Literature/{{Raffles}}'' story "The Gift of the Emperor". Raffles uses the cruise ship's ventilation system to sneak between rooms. The book (which was written in the nineteenth century) employs a more era-appropriate chimney-drop.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Comic Books]]
64	* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''
65	** [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] escaped Arkham Asylum this way. Justified in that this villain has always been a skinny britches. And it's [[CardboardPrison Arkham Asylum]].
66	** Used again in the 1980s Creator/FrankMiller envisioning of Batman. True, this time it was an arranged "escape" -- with both Batman and Commissioner Gordon in on the act of breaking a villain out of an ''ordinary'' holding cell. However, this time the prisoner is the hulking Mutant leader, a man built enough to take on Batman in hand-to-hand combat. (The breakout was so that Batman could have a rematch, after also arranging for the entire Mutant gang to be on hand to watch their leader get taught a lesson in messing with the Batman.)
67	** In ''ComicBook/Robin1993'', Damian Wayne worked his way to the heart of the Batcave using the air vents when he was trying to escape from his [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul grandfather]]. He wasn't able to enter the vents until he'd already made it into the cave and past layers of security, and it wasn't sneaky at all as Tim Drake was well aware of his location and waiting for him when he exited.
68	* Used in a Bash Street Kids strip in ''ComicBook/TheBeano'' which saw Fatty, Plug and Smiffy crawl into a vent in an attempt to steal a key off Teacher.
69	* ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'': In the "Gallimaufry" story arc, several creatures at various points use the air vents to get around without being seen. It's worth noting that none of them are human and all are around the size of a cat or smaller. (One is an actual cat.)
70	* Discussed by Characters/{{Catwoman\|SelinaKyle}}, who [[JustifiedTrope explains]] that extra and unnecessarily large vents and crawlspaces are common in Gotham as a result of the widespread corruption that allows contractors to get paid for extra construction on municipal buildings, then further cautions that most of these are undependable and poorly made ''because'' they're just there to justify extra budget allocations and the contractors weren't concerned with their use and upkeep.
71	* Played with in ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'': Some houses may have or have not vents sufficiently large, resulting in Diabolik and Eva (extremely agile people) either climbing in themselves or using a remote-controlled robot to reach the safe or vault.
72	** The series being what it is, one of Diabolik's targets put together a Diabolik-proof vault, whose security measures included vents too small for Diabolik and Eva and [[ProperlyParanoid an always active jammer in case someone tried with a remote-controlled robot]]. Thus you can understand how surprised were Diabolik and [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Ginko]] when someone ''still'' stole from the vault... At least until [[spoiler:Diabolik found out it had been the owner's daughter, a very intelligent child who wanted her father's attention]].
73	* Kei tries this in ''The Literature/DirtyPair'' series ''Biohazard''. But she gets stuck when her full, child-bearing hips won't fit. Mmmm. It's a ShoutOut to one of the TV episodes. Also contains Yuri's wonderful 4th-wall-leaning/LampshadeHanging from her outside POV: "Been hitting the cheesecake a little too hard, hmm?"
74	* In ''Webcomic/{{Dreamkeepers}}'', Namah and Mace (and Whip) are both partial to this trope.
75	* Reed Richards of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' does this now and again as well. Justified in that his powers are to stretch his body to any length, and width.
76	* In ''ComicBook/{{Flare}}'', Raven Gold the party crasher uses one to sneak into Max Krueger's office toward the bottom of [[http://www.heroicmultiverse.com/flare/webcomic/index.php?pn=695 this page]].
77	* Subverted in the [[Creator/IDWPublishing IDW]] continuation of ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]]''. Bombstrike is captured by the Red Shadows and imprisoned in their research facility in [[{{Qurac}} Olliestan]]. When the guards notice through the vision panel in the door that her cell appears to be empty, they throw in a flash-bang grenade before entering (in case she's hiding just out of view from the peephole), only to find the cell ''is'' empty and the grate over the air vent is dislodged. The guards do question how she fit through there, but run off to raise the alert, leaving the cell door wide open. Once it's all clear, Bombstrike emerges from above the ceiling tiles in the cell and makes her way out through the corridor.
78	* In the fourth issue of ''ComicBook/GothamCityGarage'', Characters/{{Supergirl\|TheCharacter}}, Characters/{{Nightwing\|DickGrayson}} and Characters/{{Catwoman\|SelinaKyle}} crawl into a vent to break into a secret facility belonging to [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]].
79	* ''ComicBook/GreenLanternTheLostArmy'': B'dg crawls through the light pirate's prison's ventilation system to locate the Lanterns' stolen rings and destroy the electronics needed to keep the {{force field door}}s up.
80	* ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'':
81	** In ''Mickey Mouse and the Chirikawa Necklace'', Mickey and Atomo Bleep-Bleep escape a deathtrap through an air vent. May be justified in that they are very small, especially compared to the {{dogfaces}} that inhabit the ElaborateUndergroundBase.
82	** Mercilessly parodied in an Italian story: [[ShowWithinAShow in a show they're acting in]], Mickey, Goofy and O'Hara infiltrate the starship of the villain this way and encounter [[HeroOfAnotherStory a hero going in the opposite direction to save a princess]], two monsters, and the President of the United States ([[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext "He was just passing through"]]).
83	** In another story, Pete and his cell mate escape from a cell this way... Leaving the police wondering how it's even possible, as the vent was too small for ''Mickey'' and they were both tall and fat. {{Justified\|Trope}} in that Pete's cell mate was actually Santa, that [[ItMakesSenseInContext O'Hara had thrown in jail on multiple counts of breaking and entering to keep him from quitting being Santa]], and his magic simply enlarged the vent in front of him and kept it large until Pete had followed him.
84	* ''ComicBook/MsTree'' makes this escape as part of her DieHardOnAnX plot in the "New Year's Evil" story.
85	* Subverted in "Earthquake", an issue of ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'': Paperinik must get around a closed door. Being GenreSavvy, he tries to go into an airvent, remarking: "This always works in the movies!" Being a PintSizedPowerhouse, he can crawl in, but his large shield gets stuck.
86	* An example of a villain using this trope is found in Marvel's 1990s series ''ComicBook/{{Sleepwalker}}'', when SerialKiller Jeremy Roscoe, after freeing himself from his restraints, climbs into the ducts to escape the prison hospital where he was being held. Probably not as bad as some of the other examples, since by that time the alarms were already activated and Roscoe's only concern was getting out by the fastest route possible.
87	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Spider-Man does this every now and again. In an interesting variation, however, he usually does it when he's breaking ''into'' a place, rather than trying to escape.
88	* Averted in ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' when Agent 355 and Yorick are breaking into a hotel in Sydney (surrounded by barbed wire and armed security due to the increase in drug-related crime AfterTheEnd).
89	-->'''Agent 355:''' You said we'd be able to use the air conditioning vents. They're six inches by four inches.\
90	'''Yorick:''' Yeah, well, I overestimated the amount of... air this place might need...
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
94	* In a ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' strip, Alice tells naive intern Asok, "You must climb through the Jeffries tubes to reach the furnace before it fries us all!" He gets stuck half-way in, but that was her plan: "Today, Asok learns that life is not like ''Franchise/StarTrek''." With Asok's lower body hanging out of the vent, Alice puts up a sign that reads "Spank the Intern $.50".
95	** Similarly, the boss has to hide in the ducts when his security clearance is revoked. He gets stuck and is presumed dead, resulting in the construction of a 'totally cool device to increase the duct pressure and propel his carcass into the stratosphere'.
96	* In a series of ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'' strips, Bucky tried this tactic to reach the ferret in the next apartment. While he fit fine (because he's a cat) he ended up getting lost and having to call for help... and Satchel mistook the voice coming out of the walls for God.
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
100	* ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' has Charlie Barkin sneak around Carface's casino by moving through the air vents. Charlie succeeds in fishing TheWoobie Anne Marie out of her compartment through these vents. Justified, because Charlie is a dog moving around in human-built ductwork, and Anne Marie is a child.
101	* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Gru and two minions use this method to try to steal the shrink ray from Vector's house, which they consistently fail at.
102	* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow''. Taking refuge in Eddy's Brother's room, the Eds try to get out the window. It's bricked in, as shown in a previous episode. ("My brother's a whiz at laying bricks.") While Edd tries to find another way out, he trips over a rug, revealing a heating duct. Eddy quickly pries open the grate, jumps in, and... more bricks. Then Ed finds the "In Case Of Movie Break Glass" case.
103	* ''WesternAnimation/GlobehuntersAnAroundTheWorldInEightyDaysAdventure'': After escaping from the holding cell room, Eddie, Sasha, and Trevor use a vent to get from the room they end up in to the lab locker room.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'': This is how Stitch escapes from the prisoner bay after breaking out of his cell. Justified because he's small and fast, and all the guards know he's there, they just couldn't shoot him in time.
105	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' carries this over from the book it's based on. The rats make it out fine, however all but two of the mice are blown away to their deaths.
106	* In ''Animation/SkyBlue'', Shua flees Ecoban through the air vents after going through the AbsurdlySpaciousSewer system.
107	* Done by [[ColdSniper Trig]] in ''WesternAnimation/StarshipTroopersInvasion'', where she has to strip out of her power armor to get into the vent. She also [[LampshadeHanging mentions]] that Bugspray would never fit when he wants to go with her.
108	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d near the start of ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' when Korso tells Cale to head for the vents. Cale responds sarcastically that no one would think to look for them there.
109	* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''. Naturally, ducts are much more convenient when you're eight inches tall.
110	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'': Dug and Carl use it to sneak into [[spoiler:Muntz's airship]] to rescue Kevin.
111	* WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit's ''WesternAnimation/TheWrongTrousers'' has air ducts to a museum big enough to stand in. They were realistically loud though, insofar as a pair of remote-controlled, vacuum-soled robotic trousers can be realistic.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Podcasts]]
115	* Episode 1 of ''Podcast/TheOrbitingHumanCircusOfTheAir'' opens with protagonist Julian the Janitor's personal InteractiveNarrator describing Julian having managed to get backstage by holing up in a heating duct, preparing to sneak into the eponymous radio show's ballroom studio for the third time in a week.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Roleplay]]
119	* Used to escape a dead-end in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' by John Sheppard, Vera Lang and Kyrie Joseph, as killer Harry Tsai was hot on their heels and it was the only way out of the building they had run inside.
120	* Shelton and Ridgeway successfully do this in ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers: Schrodinger's Prisoners''. It's also subverted in the third RP when Hans suggests this as a way to get into Pelvanida and James points out how that wouldn't work.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
124	* ''Buck Rogers XXV (in the 25th Century)'' adventure [=XXVCA3=] ''Deimos Mandate''. When the pirates attack the [=RAM=] meeting, Mortimer tells the [=PCs=] to enter two air vent ducts and move around using them in order to ambush the pirates.
125	* In ''TabletopGame/BurgleBros'' the two Service Duct tiles are considered adjacent to each other, no matter where on the map they are.
126	* ''TabletopGame/DuneChroniclesOfTheImperium'' main rules, adventure "Instrument of Kanly". The agents of House D'murjzin enter and exit the 35th floor of the Adici Enterprises corporate headquarters through an air vent.
127	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' magazine adventure "Granite Mountain Prison". One way for the PlayerCharacters to enter the title jail is to climb down the main ventilation shaft and pass through the air ducts in the facility until they can get to the cell of the prisoner they're trying to break out.
128	* Creator/{{Chaosium}}'s ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' RPG main rules, adventure "The Dying River". The elf {{P\|layerCharacter}}Cs can get inside the troll tunnels by finding one of the airholes that the trolls use as a ventilation system.
129	* ''Encounter Critical'' supplement ''Asteroid 1618''. Small creatures can pass through The Vanishing Pyramid's ventilation system, but they must roll well or either get lost and exit in the wrong room or have to fight off packs of Raider Rats. If they survive they can scout out the contents of 2-8 rooms before having to roll again.
130	* ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'' has this as a territory which gives the option of starting behind your opponent. {{Justified\|Trope}} as Imperial hive cities can have ventilation shafts kilometers wide.
131	* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' 1E supplement ''Acute Paranoia'', adventure "Outland-ISH". When the Troubleshooters are trying to get to ISH sector their High Programmer opponent tries to stop them by putting a convoy of vehicles across their path. They can get around this by finding and using an air vent passage.
132	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' supplement ''State of the Art 2063''. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems have ductwork that can be used by shadowrunners to infiltrate corporate buildings. Knight Errant Security recommends that the ducts be made too small to allow entry by intruders.
133	* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}''
134	** Creator/{{FASA}}'s Classic supplement ''Action Aboard: Adventures on the King Richard''. A paragraph details how the air ducts can be used to move around the ship.
135	** ''Challenge'' magazine #32 adventure "A World On Its Own''. One way for the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] to get into the starport is to go through the service ducts for air circulation and electronics lines. The only problems are that most of the ducts are barely large enough for human beings and the chance of getting lost.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
139	* In ''[[Ride/JurassicParkRiverAdventure Jurassic Park: The Ride]]'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, a ''Velociraptor'' pops out at the riders from one.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
143	* ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'':
144	** The only reason the title character's client in the third case is accused of the murder is that it's a LockedRoomMystery and he's the only one small enough to fit through the vents (where they found his fingerprints). He did escape the crime scene through the vents, but didn't commit the murder.
145	** Also, the air vents were used by Lamiroir to get from one side the stage to the other quickly for her part in the magic act in the middle of her song. They are stated to be large enough for her to walk, albeit hunched over and there was staff waiting at either end to help her.
146	** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' gives us a variant - Apollo suggests that someone walked through an air vent, but investigating the thing later shows that while it was possible, it was certainly not done and he has to come up with another defense.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Web Animation]]
150	* ''WebAnimation/MinilifeTV'': In "[[Recap/MinilifeTVSeason4Episode9 The Quarter Finals Begin]]", when Chris tries to bust Ian out of City Hall, he climbs into an air vent to get into his office.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Web Original]]
154	* ''Website/TheHardTimes'': "[[https://thehardtimes.net/culture/evil-villain-ensures-lairs-air-vents-extra-wide/ Evil Villain Ensures Lair's Air Vents Extra Wide]]", large enough to accommodate one adult man or a pair of sexy lady ninjas. The same villain also installs a LaserHallway.
155	* Played straight in ''Literature/MagicalGirlHunters'' when sneaking into the Mashihaishi Ultra building. The confusing layout is {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d with Yoi asking directions of other people traveling through the same vent system.
156	* ''Website/SCPFoundation''
157	** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-932 SCP-932 ("Night Feeder")]]. During the containment breach described in Incident Report 932-02 SCP-932-06 escaped, apparently by somehow getting into Site-09's air ducts. While in the air ducts it reproduced, creating SCP-932-07 and SCP-932-08.
158	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1341 SCP-1341 ("JUNGLE IN A JAR")]]. Doctor Boyd, the lead researcher on SCP-1341, wrote an account on the outbreak that led to the site being overrun with jungle plants. The last entry is his statement that he's going to commit suicide.
159	** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2978 SCP-2978 ("Motherburg")]]. The SCP-2978-B entities being held in Site 17 change a wireless modem into a flying vehicle and start to explore. Three minutes later the vehicle enters a ventilation duct and visual contact with the vehicle is lost.
160	* ''TabletopGame/TechInfantry'' has a sequence where a space station is captured by rebels, and they lock Xinjao O'Reilly, the chief engineer on one of the space docks, in [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard a tool storage closet]] with his engineering crew. They [[LampshadeHanging hang a lampshade]] on what a stupid move this is, grab a bunch of tools, and escape into the maintenance passageways between bulkheads. They make life very difficult for the rebels controlling the station for a while.
161	[[/folder]]
162
163	[[folder:Web Videos]]
164	* Kai tries to use one of these in the first episode of the ''WebVideo/ChroniclesOfSyntax'' to get out of the school. It doesn't quite work out how he expected.
165	-->'''Kai:''' Okay, this thing is ''definitely'' getting smaller. I might just hyperventilate myself into a coma down here. They'll find me years later, turning to dust in the fetal position. Can I even get into the fetal position? I don't care. Just keep moving. Just keep moving forward...
166	* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRTP2IZ2nOo Duct Hunt]]'', a parody of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series made by Creator/RocketJump, deconstructs almost every aspect of this trope, including the way some players tend to use it in ''Metal Gear''.
167	* ''Film/{{Merc\|Force}}s'' has this done by Varisa and Creed to sneak around the ship during the "Hijack" episode. At one point, one of the mooks tracks Varisa by the banging noises in the ductwork and ambushes her when she comes out.
168	* ''WebVideo/UnwantedHouseguest'': Airvents are used by both the heroes and villains in issue 3 of the comic.
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Real Life]]
172	* To this day, criminals will attempt this trope at any number of buildings where they can find a suitable opening. The difficulty they will encounter is that ducts don't stay the same size or shape all that often -- it's common for the ducts to get smaller as paths branch off in order to maintain air pressure throughout. The added difficulty of straight up-and-down ducts will see many criminals slipping and falling to become wedged or even killed by the fall. Even worse for some criminals is they may attempt this on holidays or weekends to avoid being heard clambering through the ventilation. When they become trapped, they must wait days without food or water in extremely uncomfortable positions for somebody to discover them. Given that some buildings are closed for months at a time (if not permanently), it's not surprising that several unlucky burglars have ended up ''dying of thirst'' or exposure before being found when people finally return and notice a smell, or sometimes aren't discovered at all until the building undergoes maintenance or is demolished.
173	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oxpy0F2OBQ This rather dim female convenience store thief in Edmonton]] attempted this trope. While the [[UsefulNotes/TheMounties RCMP]] was busy wrestling her boyfriend and partner in crime, she found an opportunity to sneak into the back room and then clamber into an air vent exhausting air from the space above the ceiling. While she managed to pick a vent large enough to fit through, she forgot the fact that tiled ceilings aren't designed to take any weight, and took quite a brutal fall (headfirst!) onto a metal shelving unit underneath. With this obviously catching the attention of the officers who had just finished subduing her accomplice, the woman wisely gave herself up.
174	* In RealLife, small animals tend to be more successful at this trope than humans (they're small enough to get inside easily, they're light enough that the ducts can support their weight and they don't make as thunderous a noise while they move around). Depending on the animal, they can still be very loud as claws or nails make a racket running on metal.
175	* During and around TheDungAges, a popular way to infiltrate a stronghold was to climb through the privy chute. This had varying outcomes; either they made it, and incidentally killed Edmund II by [[AssShove puncturing his arse]], or they got stuck and died in there, or they suffocated and ''then'' died in there. After such sieges, those chutes had to be cleaned elaborately and swept through because of all the stuck-up cadavers.
176	** This is how the castle of Chateau Gaillard was defeated when the new owner of the castle, John, ''(yes that [[Myth/RobinHood Prince John]] brother of Richard the Lionhearted)'' added a new latrine to the fortress near the front giving the once impregnable castle a massive new entrance to be exploited (the new chute was 2 meters square at the base and was outside the castle's moat). The original castle only having small chutes positioned where entering them would be foolhardy. All because John was too lazy to use the latrine at the middle or back of the castle.
177	** According to some sources, this was how Finnish Cudgel War leader Jaakko Ilkka escaped from his imprisonment in the Turku Castle.
178	* [[http://mentalfloss.com/article/16816/7-underhanded-sports-tactics-including-how-knock-out-deaf-guy This was attempted in 1994]] by Cleveland Indians pitcher Jason Grimsley to try to switch out teammate Albert Belle's corked bat before the umpire could find out he was cheating. Going through 10 feet of ducts and a false ceiling, he might have even gotten away with it if he hadn't replaced it with an autographed bat.
179	* {{Defied\|Trope}} in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_Compartmented_Information_Facility Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities]], a.k.a. [=SCIFs=], where top-secret intelligence information is handled in the United States have a list of regulations on construction of air vents, including grates to prevent entry and deliberate metal disconnects to avoid sound transfer.
180	* Successfully done by serial killer Ted Bundy. While in prison awaiting trial on one of many murders he was suspected in, he climbed through the roof of his cell (he had dieted and lost enough weight to make this possible), crawled across the floorboards into the adjoining warden's apartment (the warden and his wife were out at a New Year's Eve party), and simply walked out of the apartment into freedom. He was caught several weeks later, but not before adding several more victims to his list.
181	* When Kingsley Ofosu and 8 other Ghanians stowed away on a Europe-bound cargo ship, he escaped from the ship's murderous crew (the other stowaways were not so lucky), by shimmying up one of these.
182	* [[https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Man-hangs-himself-in-Alton-jail-cell-12600520.php Quawntay Adams]] managed to escape from a jail by going into the subceiling ''and'' out through a vent. It was harder than it sounds; after getting a hacksaw blade to get through the ceiling, he had to both time the guards, evade the cameras-including the one ''in his cell''-and get to his accomplice outside. His grand total of freedom? ''Seven hours.''
183	* On a G4 special one of the famed Bioware doctors mentioned how as a child his teacher locked him in the closet for misbehaving, he climbed from the closet into the drop ceiling ''BreakfastClub'' style. After crawling back into his classroom he positioned himself over where the teacher was standing and dropped a lugie on them.
184	* Attempted unsuccessfully by Jamie Minor. She tried sneaking into her workplace by the air ducts but got trapped, and was found dead over a month later.
185	* Russian President Boris Yeltsin was thought to have done this once during a stay in Washington D.C. in order to evade security (the security aimed at protecting him) so that he could go out for a night on the town unburdened by bodyguards. In reality the president only unscrewed the vent as a decoy and or prank then used an unlocked window to "escape".
186	* Inverted -- if only just -- in real life basements containing an "[[https://web.archive.org/web/20060304091206/http://www.escapewindows.net/ egress window]]". This is ''intended'' to assist folks in their escape in the event of a house fire or emergency, but many folks often leave it open to get some air circulation going. Furthermore, many people are too large to make proper use of them.
187	* Freddy Swanson, an inmate in Monterey County, California, successfully pulled off this trope in December of 2014.
188	* In 1992, convicted murderer Richard Lee [=McNair=] and two other inmates escaped from North Dakota State Penitentiary by crawling through an air vent in an education room and making their way to the roof of the building. After crossing several more rooftops, they dropped 15 feet to the ground outside the main wall and escaped. The other two inmates were apprehended within hours, but [=McNair=] remained free for 10 months before being re-arrested.
189	* Attempted by [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39820263 a pair of students in the US]] to steal an exam paper in the middle of the night. The air duct bit worked, but the tutor was working late.
190	* A number of people have discovered to their dismay that air ducts and suspended ceiling grids are intended to support air and suspended ceiling tiles respectively, both of which are ''much'' lighter than human beings. Whether this discovery led to injury/death, imprisonment, or just embarrassment depends on where they fell through at.
191	* Theatres not infrequently have "hidden passages" installed over the "house" (audience seating area) for maintenance and adjustment of lighting or sound equipment that would be difficult or awkward to reach in any other way. However, these generally don't "go" anywhere and you usually have to exit back out the same way you came in (A really enterprising person might rappel down from a catwalk, but anyone doing so would almost certainly be in full view of the audience and draw more attention than they would have had they just walked in the main door quietly.)
192	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AirVentPassageway