The passenger on a South Korean flight, who opened an emergency exit door while still mid-air, told the police that he opened the door because he felt “uncomfortable,” as the news agency Yonhap reported. The man, in his thirties, opened the door minutes before it landed in Daegu, South Korea. He told the police that he opened the door because he "wanted to get off the plane quickly", Yonhap agency said, citing the Daegu Dongbu Police Station. He also told the police that he was stressed as he lost his job recently.
A South Korean transport ministry official said on Friday that it was possible to open emergency exits at or near ground level because the pressures inside and outside the cabin were similar, Reuters reported. This case was unprecedented, but passengers have opened emergency exits without authorisation while the plane is on the ground, Jin Seong-Hyun, a former Korean Air cabin safety official said, as reported by Reuters. According to Yonhap agency, the Police has planned to arrest the man after the conclusion of the investigation.
According to the Associated Press, people aboard the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft tried to stop the passenger from opening the door but were unsuccessful as the door eventually opened partially, the Transport Ministry said. The plane with 194 landed at Daegu airport at about 12:40 pm (0340 BST) after departing from the island of Jeju an hour earlier.
Details of the incidents including the time of the flight which is usually about an hour and the timestamp of how long the door was opened for are being probed. The passengers included teenage athletes who plan to attend track and field competitions in Ulsan, another southeastern city.
The Guardian on Friday quoted one official who said, “Police are investigating the incident after a passenger who was sitting near the emergency exit said he touched its lever.” However, the plane was a few minutes from landing when the male passenger sitting next to an emergency door opened a cover and pulled a lever so the door opened about 200 metres (656ft) above ground, an Asiana spokesperson said.
Video footage apparently taken by a person on board that was posted on social media shows some passengers’ hair being whipped by the air blowing into the cabin through the open door. According to Reuters, at least nine passengers were sent to the hospital with breathing issues. All were dismissed from the hospital after two hours, a fire department official said.