Passenger who opened plane door mid-air said he was stressed after job loss
The terrifying moment was caught on camera: Asiana Airlines passengers in their seats as the wind rushed into the cabin from an opened exit door while the plane was still in the air. The incident occurred on Friday, May 26 in South Korea and a man in his 30s believed to be responsible was arrested.
When questioned by police, Yonhap News Agency reports that the man said that he wanted to get off the aircraft quickly. Officials also said that he was under a lot of stress after a recent job loss and opened the door because he wanted to leave after feeling suffocated.
He also told officers he had been “under stress after losing a job recently”.
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The man is suspected of pulling the lever and opening the plane door while the plane was still 700 feet in the air. The Airbus A321 had made a one-hour journey from Jeju International Airport and had started its descent at Daegu International Airport, according to the Associated Press.
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Since the plane had been about to land, flight attendants were unable to stop him. Other people tried to stop the man, but he was still able to partially open the door, said the Transport Ministry.
The unnamed man was arrested upon landing at Daegu International Airport.
There were 194 passengers onboard and none were hurt in the incident. However, 12 panicked passengers who had trouble breathing were taken to a hospital.
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