Passengers on board an Asiana flight on Friday, May 25 went into a panic after someone opened the airplane door while in the air. In a video posted on social media, passengers can be seen restraining their belongings after another traveler opened a side door. The air burst through the door causing everyone’s hair to fly into the air as screams and cries could be heard in the background.
Law officials detained the suspected air-bending passenger after the plane landed safely at a South Korean airport. There were 194 passengers on-board and 12 were mildly injured, according to the Associated Press. The Transport Ministry said many passengers attempted to stop the passenger before they opened the emergency door of Asiana Airlines Airbus A321. Authorities have yet to release the name and motive of the suspect.
South Korean law bans passengers from handling or opening emergency doors on planes, according to the ministry. The offense can come with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. On board the plane was a group of teenage athletes heading to a track and field competition. Some travelers were immediately taken to the hospital due to severe ear trauma after the door was opened.
This isn’t the time first a passenger has attempted to open an emergency exit door while flying. In November 2022, a female passenger on a flight leaving Hobby Airport in Houston tried to open the door after taking off. The woman claimed “Jesus told her to open the door” before biting another passenger who stopped her, according to NBC Dallas Fort Worth.
In January 2023, a passenger aboard an IndiGo flight failed in removing the emergency covering on the door while mid-air. Although they were stopped and detained, the incident was the second occurrence of a passenger attempting to open the emergency exit in less than three months.