Man who opened Asiana flight door in mid-air claims he was 'uncomfortable'

The passenger who was detained for opening the emergency door of Asiana Airlines flight mid-air told police that he did it minutes before the plane was about to land in Daegu, South Korea, on Friday because he was feeling "uncomfortable", reported Yonhap News Agency.

The man, who is in his thirties, said to the police that he opened the emergency door because he "wanted to get off the plane quickly", stated Yonhap, citing the Daegu Dongbu Police Station.

“He felt the flight was taking longer than it should have been and felt suffocated inside the cabin," a Daegu police detective said

He added that he was "under stress after losing a job recently".

The man had suddenly opened the emergency door when the flight was still about 700 feet (213m) above the ground which caused panic among the passengers onboard.

The man faces up to 10 years in imprisonment for violation of aviation safety laws.

ALSO READ |WATCH | Terrifying seconds after passenger opens emergency door mid-air

Police continue to carry out investigation

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Nine passengers had to be admitted to the hospital after they complained about facing breathing issues. All the passengers were discharged from the hospital after two hours, said a fire department official.

The police have been planning to arrest the man after investigations conclude, stated Yonhap.

Former Korean Air cabin safety official Jin Seong-hyun said that as far as he is aware, the case was unprecedented, however, passengers have earlier opened emergency exits while the plane was on the ground, without any authorisation.

On Friday, a South Korean transport ministry official stated that passengers can open emergency exits at or near ground level due to the similarity in the pressures inside and outside the cabin.

WATCH |Passenger onboard flight opens emergency door

Mid-air flight scare

A nearby passenger shot a video clip which showed wind ripping through the open door with fabric seat-backs and hair of passengers flapping wildly as people can be heard shouting in surprise.

In another video, passengers can be seen sitting next to the emergency exit door which is open and strong winds blowing inside the cabin.

"It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board," said a 44-year-old passenger while speaking to Yonhap.

"I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this,” he added.

A Transport Ministry official stated that this was "the first such incident" about which they were aware of in the history of the Korean aviation industry.

(With inputs from agencies)

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