Topline
South Korean police on Friday have reportedly arrested a man who opened a jet’s emergency exit during a flight, with video footage from the flight showing panicked passengers gripping their armrests as they were buffeted by wind tearing through the cabin.
A passenger opened the emergency exit of an Asiana Airlines jet during flight (not pictured).
Key Facts
Officials said a passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land in the South Korean city of Daegu, according to news reports.
Local police said they had arrested a man who confessed to opening a door mid-flight but would not say why he had done so, according to CNN.
A total of 200 people were on board the flight, including 194 passengers, among whom were 48 elementary and middle school athletes on their way to compete in a national sports event, according to news agency Yonhap.
Video footage—reportedly shot by a passenger and shown on television—showed passengers sitting gripping their armrests with wind rushing in through the open doorway as the plane came in to land.
As the plane was minutes away from landing, all onboard were reportedly seated with their seatbelts fastened, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
Nobody was sucked out of or fell out of the plane or were seriously injured in the incident, officials said, though 12 passengers suffered breathing difficulties from hyperventilating, nine of whom were taken to hospital.
What To Watch For
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said police and ministry officials are investigating the arrested man for breaking aviation law, CNN reported. The transport ministry told Reuters it is also investigating whether Asiana Airlines followed the correct protocols to manage emergency exits.
Key Background
It’s normally impossible to open a plane door mid-flight and it is especially rare to see incidents like this. Almost all such incidents will happen when a plane is on the ground or in the process of taking off or landing as both physics and airplane design stop it from happening at high altitudes. Mostly, this is to do with the fact that jets maintain a higher air pressure than their surroundings when high up, which seals the door in place. Jet doors open inwards to take advantage of this and should this seal somehow break at altitude, the cabin’s contents—passengers and most of the air included—would be sucked toward the opening and possibly thrown forcibly from the plane.
Further Reading
Physics explains why you can never open a plane door mid-flight (Wired)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/05/26/asiana-airlines-man-arrested-after-opening-plane-door-mid-air/