Man who opened plane door mid-flight says he felt ‘uncomfortable’

Man who opened plane door mid-flight says he felt ‘uncomfortable’ | World News

27/05/2023

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A man who opened a plane’s emergency exit door in the middle of a flight said he did it because he was ‘uncomfortable’.

The passenger, who has been identified by just his surname Lee, flung open the exit door while his Asiana Airlines flight was still 700 feet above the ground on Friday.

He was arrested after the plane landed in the city of Daegu but officers were unable to reveal a motive, saying: ‘It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him.’

Lee, in his 30s, has since told police he did it because he was ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘wanted to get off the plane quickly’.

He also told officers he was stressed after losing his job recently, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported today.

Authorities previously confirmed he was not drunk at the time of the bizarre incident.

One of the 194 passengers aboard the flight told Yonhap: ‘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.

Police officers in plain clothes arrest an airplane passenger at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, South Korea, Friday, May 26, 2023, as he is suspected of opening an emergency exit door on an Asiana Airlines plane during a flight. A passenger opened an emergency exit door during a South Korean flight Friday, causing air to gust inside the cabin before the plane landed safely, airline and government officials said. (Yun Kwan-shick/Yonhap via AP) — Police waiting on the tarmac arrested the man after the plane landed safely (Picture: AP)

An Asiana Airlines plane is parked as one of the plane's doors suddenly opened at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, South Korea, Friday, May 26, 2023. A passenger opened a door on an Asiana Airlines flight that later landed safely at a South Korean airport Friday, airline and government officials said. (Yun Kwan-shick/Yonhap via AP) — The plane landed safely despite the door being wide open (Picture: AP)

Rescue workers move a passenger on a stretcher to an ambulance at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, South Korea, Friday, May 26, 2023. A passenger opened a door on an Asiana Airlines flight that later landing safely at a South Korean airport Friday, airline and government officials said. (Daegu Fire Station/Newsis via AP) — Passengers were taken to ambulances on stretchers (Picture: AP)

Several people fainted during the incident, with footage showing intense winds battering seated passengers from the gap in the port side of the cabin.

Some 12 passengers were hospitalised after the flight, with injuries including breathing problems and severe ear pain – all made a full recovery.

Passengers included schoolchildren and a youth athletic team. Witnesses described hearing young people screaming and crying.

Lee is expected to be charged with violation of the Aviation Security Act and other offences.

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