Every Air Passenger’s Worst Nightmare: Terrible moment where the plane door opens in mid-air as the traveler grabs the emergency exit lever
- When the door opened, the plane was on its way to the South Korean city of Daegu
It would be anyone’s worst nightmare to see an airplane door swing open in mid-air as a passenger grabbed the emergency exit handle.
The video shows passengers clinging to their seats as the wind blew into the plane as it landed towards the South Korean city of Daegu on Friday.
Children began shaking and crying in fear when the door of the Asiana Airlines plane suddenly opened, witnesses said.
Nine passengers were so terrified they were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties when the plane landed safely at Daego Airport at 12.40pm local time with the door still open.
Police have detained a male passenger in his 30s for questioning after he opened the door when the plane was about 650 feet off the ground, Yonhap news agency reports. It is unclear why he did this.
It would be anyone’s worst nightmare to see an airplane door swing open in mid-air as a passenger grabbed the emergency exit handle
An opened door of an Asiana Airlines plane is seen at Daegu International Airport in Daegu on Friday after a passenger opened it
Rescue workers take a passenger on a stretcher to an ambulance at Daegu International Airport in Daegu after the door of their flight opened on Friday
Some people on board tried to stop the man from opening the door but were unsuccessful, the Department of Transportation said.
The plane with 194 people on board, including 48 youth athletes who were scheduled to compete in a national sporting event in the city of Olsan, had left Jeju Island when the door opened.
“Children were shaking and crying in panic,” said the mother of one of the athletes. “Those sitting near the exit must have been the most shocked.”
A spokesman for Asiana Airlines said authorities were investigating how the door opened.
“Police are investigating the incident after a passenger who was seated near the emergency exit said he touched the lever,” an Asiana Airlines spokesman said.
Police have arrested a male passenger in his 30s for questioning (pictured) after he opened the door when the plane was about 200 meters off the ground
Pictured: An opened door of an Asiana Airlines plane is seen at Daegu International Airport in Daegu on Friday after it was manually opened by a passenger
Rescue workers transport students on stretchers at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, South Korea after the plane door opened mid-air
While it’s rare for an aircraft door to open while the plane is in the air, it has happened on occasion.
In January, the tailgate of a Russian An-26 plane burst open shortly after takeoff from the world’s coldest region.
The pilot made a quick emergency landing at Magan in Siberia’s Yakutsk region and everyone on board was “safe” despite the intense cold in the cabin during the drama.