Man who opened plane door mid-flight says he felt ‘uncomfortable’ world news
A man who opened a plane’s emergency exit door mid-flight said he did it because he was “unwell”.
The passenger, identified only by his last name Lee, yanked open the exit door while his Asiana Airlines flight was still 700 feet off the ground on Friday.
He was arrested after the plane landed in Daegu city, but officials could not identify 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 officials he was stressed after recently losing his job, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported today.
Authorities previously confirmed that he was not intoxicated at the time of the bizarre incident.
One of the 194 passengers on board the flight told Yonhap, “There was chaos as people fainted near the door one by one and flight attendants radioed to call for doctors on board.”
“I thought the plane was going to explode. I thought I was going to die like this.
Several people fainted during the incident. Footage showed strong winds battering seated passengers from the gap in the port side of the cabin.
About 12 passengers were hospitalized after the flight with injuries including breathing problems and severe earaches – all made a full recovery.
The passengers included school children and a youth sports team. Witnesses reported hearing young people screaming and crying.
Lee is expected to face charges of violating the Aviation Security Act and other offences.
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