The passenger of an Asiana Airlines flight that opened an emergency exit Friday in the middle of landing told South Korean police that he felt he was "suffocating" and wanted to get out of the plane "quickly", she told AFP on Saturday.
The aircraft was still about 200 metres above the ground when the passenger, whose identity has not been released, opened the emergency exit near which he was sitting.
The individual, who was arrested by Daegu police for questioning, told officers he was "in a state of stress after recently losing his job," a Daegu investigator told AFP. "He found that the flight lasted longer than he should have and felt that he was suffocating inside the cabin," according to law enforcement. "He wanted to get out fast."
'It was chaos'
Nearly 200 passengers were on board the plane approaching the runway at Daegu International Airport in South Korea, some 240 km southeast of Seoul, after a domestic flight. The individual faces up to 10 years in prison for violating aviation safety legislation.
In a short video taken by one of the passengers, the wind can be seen rushing into the open door in mid-flight, the cloth headrests and the hair of the passengers leaving in all directions, while some shout. Another video shared on social media shows passengers sitting in the emergency exit row next to the open door, shaken by high winds.
VIDEO. Big scare in mid-flight: a passenger opens the door of the plane just before landing
"It was chaos. People near the gate seemed to faint one by one and the flight attendants were asking the doctors (present) on board with announcements, while others ran down the aisle in panic," a 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap news agency. "I thought the plane was going to explode. I thought I was going to die like that."
A dozen passengers were taken to hospital for breathing difficulties, but no serious injuries or significant damage were found, according to the Ministry of Transport. A transport ministry official told AFP that to the institution's knowledge, it was the "first incident of its kind" in South Korean aviation history.
