The passenger opened the door mid-flight. He told the police he was “uncomfortable”

airplane Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200, from Jeju Island and landed at Daegu Airport at approximately 12.40 local time (5.40 in Poland) according to the flight schedule. None of the 194 passengers on board fell from the plane and was not injured.

The man opened the door when the plane was 200 meters above the ground, causing panic on board. The 33-year-old, who was arrested by police, later explained that he opened the emergency exit because he felt “uneasy”, “wanted to get off the plane quickly” and was “exhausted after recently losing his job”.

Experts suggest that opening the door during flight was possible because the plane was at a low altitude. – It is not possible, and here I want to assure everyone, when sailing at altitude, that there will be an accidental opening of the door. From a technical point of view and from the principles of physics, it is simply impossible – said Grzegorz Brychczyński of the Union of Engineers and Communications Technicians of the Republic of Poland on TVN24 BiS. He explained that it is related to the pressure difference that prevails at high altitudes inside and outside the aircraft.

Korean authorities say the man who pulled the emergency exit handle was not drunk at the time of his arrest, but they do not explain his actions because “it was difficult to communicate with him.” Yonhap said that the authorities intend to arrest the detainee after the completion of the investigation.

Among the passengers were 48 primary and secondary school athletes who were traveling to participate in sports competitions. “The children were shaking and crying in terror,” said the mother of one of them. She added that “those sitting near the exit were more afraid, and were in a state of shock.”

Nine passengers were taken to hospital with breathing problems. A fire brigade official said they were all out after about two hours.

As far as he knows, this case is unprecedented, said Jin Seung-hyun, a former Korean Air security official, as passengers usually opened emergency exits without permission once the plane was on the ground.