Airplane passenger opens aircraft door mid-flight

A man opened the door of an Asiana Airlines plane in mid-flight as it was about to land in Daegu, a city in southern South Korea, Reuters reported on Friday, citing local authorities.

The Airbus A321 takes off, as planned, from Jeju Island, located 85 kilometers south of the Korean peninsula, this Friday at midday, with 194 people on board, according to the South Korean agency Yonhap News.

But a few minutes before landing, a passenger suddenly opens one of the doors.

A passenger opened an emergency exit door during a flight in South Korea, forcing the crew to land while it was still open.

Air blew through the cabin of the Asiana Airlines jet, slightly injuring 12 people. pic.twitter.com/Nl8HqXeiLb

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 26, 2023

The scene is captured by several people on the plane with their mobile phones. We can see the air entering the cabin with force and the passengers clinging to their seats, worried about what is happening to them.

“I thought the plane was going to explode. It looked like the passengers sitting near the door were going to pass out,” an anonymous 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap News.

“The children started shaking and crying in panic,” laments a passenger who was traveling with her child.

Fortunately, the plane then flies at low altitude, about 200 meters from the ground, and it finally lands without a hitch, with the door open.

The culprit was arrested by police.