Home Scandal and Gossip Suicidal passenger, 33, opens plane door midair during South Korean flight

Suicidal passenger, 33, opens plane door midair during South Korean flight

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Asiana Airlines passenger opens door during South Korea flight
Suicidal Asiana Airlines passenger, 33, opens plane door midair during South Korea flight.
Asiana Airlines passenger opens door during South Korea flight
Suicidal Asiana Airlines passenger, 33, opens plane door midair during South Korea flight.

Suicidal Asiana Airlines passenger, 33, opens plane door midair aboard South Korean flight at altitude of 700ft as plane was preparing to land. Male passenger tried to jump out. 

How did he do it? A passenger aboard a South Korean flight opened an emergency door moments before the plane landed — sparking chaos and panic among the 194 passengers in the wind-swept cabin.

The Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 was about to land in Daegu after a flight from the southern island of Jeju on Friday when the passenger, described as a 33 year old man pulled the emergency exit handle at an altitude of about 700 feet moments after the plane’s captain announced the plan was about to land. 

Flight attendants who were strapped in their seats, in preparation of imminent landing were not able to stop the man. Witnesses told local media that the man had also tried to jump out of the plane after opening the door.

‘I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this,’

Some of the other passengers tried to prevent the man from reaching the door but it partially opened, sending air whipping throughout the cabin as terrified fliers gripped their armrests.

At least a dozen people suffered minor injuries before the plane landed safely, according to the Transportation Ministry.

Several showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and were taken to a local hospital, Yonhap reported.

‘It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board through broadcasting,’ a passenger told the local news outlet.

‘I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this,’ the 44-year-old added.

Told another passenger: ‘Children quivered and cried in panic. Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most.’

Asiana Airlines passenger opens door during South Korea flight
Asiana Airlines passenger opens door during South Korea flight. Plane was about to land in Daegu after departing Jeju island

No known motive

The suspect was arrested at Daegu International Airport and confessed to opening the door, but would not say why he did it, CNN reported.

Witnesses described the man as unhinged passenger, with police saying that at no point was the man drunk. 

‘It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him,’ an official said, according to the BBC. ‘We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him.’

Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert with Airline Ratings, described the incident as ‘very bizarre.’

‘Technically, it’s not possible to open those doors in flight,’ he told CNN.

He said winds of about 170 mph would have been passing the plane when the door was opened.

‘It seems implausible that the door could be opened in the first place and then against the airstream technically impossible, but somehow or another it has happened,’ Thomas added.

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said an aviation safety official would check whether there was an abnormality in the plane’s maintenance, CNN reported.

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