Plane passenger arrested for opening plane door in mid-air after grabbing lever

Chaos quite literally reigned after one plane passenger opened a plane door mid-air after grabbing the emergency lever.

Like something out of a Final Destination film, the horrifying moment was captured on tape showing passengers clutching onto their seats as a huge gust of wind surged through the aircraft.

The Asiana Airlines flight was just two or three minutes from landing in Daegu, South Korea, when a man - who has since been arrested - opened a cover and pulled the release.

Twitter

Flight OZ8124, an Airbus A321-200 jet, took off from Jeju Island on Friday (26 May) at about 11:45 local time (03:45 GMT).

The plane was descending towards the South Korean city of Daegu when the door was opened around 200 metres above the ground, a spokesperson for the airline said per The Independent.

According to a Daegu fire department official, no one was hurt in the incident but nine passengers were left so terrified from the ordeal, and were subsequently transferred to a nearby hospital, after suffering breathing issues once the plane landed safely at Daego airport at 12.40pm local time - with the door still open.

The Transport Ministry have said some people on board the flight made attempts to stop the individual from opening the door but were unfortunately unsuccessful.

News1

Police have since detained a male passenger in his 30s for questioning after he opened the door when the plane was still a sizeable distance above the ground, Yonhap News Agency reports.

Authorities stated the suspect in question had not given any explanation for his actions.

They also noted he was not drunk at the point of his arrest.

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

The aircraft was carrying a staggering 194 people, including 48 teenage athletes who were set to compete in a national sports event in the city of Olsan this Saturday (27 May).

"Children quivered and cried in panic," the mother of one of the athletes said. "Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."

News1

Other passengers have since described the sheer terror they endured throughout the harrowing experience.

"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," one 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap.

He added: "I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this."

A spokesperson for Asiana Airlines has since confirmed officials were investigating how the door was even opened in the first place.

They stated: "Police are investigating the incident after a passenger who was sitting near the emergency exit said he touched its lever."