Passenger thought he was ‘going to die’ when plane door opened mid-flight to South Korea
The passenger seated next to the man on a South Korean flight who opened the emergency exit of the plane while it was airborne said he thought he was going to die during the nightmarish, caught-on-video ordeal.
Lee Yoon-Joon described the frightening moment he had to physically restrain the passenger sitting next to him aboard an Asiana Airlines flight headed to Daegu, South Korea on Saturday.
“Frankly speaking, I thought, ‘Am I going to die?'” Lee told Yonhap News Agency, according to a translation from ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
After realizing the man sitting next to him was holding the emergency exit door open, Lee said, he grabbed him with his “bare hands.”
Once the door was open, Lee said, it became difficult to breathe.
Shocking footage of the incident has gone viral online. Video clips show Lee wearing red pants, clearly in distress as air frantically whips around his face.
Passenger Lee Yoon-Joon (right) said he wondered if he was going to die during the flight. Yonhap News
Before the incident, Lee said, he got an uneasy feeling about the passenger sitting next to him.
The suspect, who told cops he only opened the door because he was “uncomfortable” and “wanted to get off the plane quickly,” had apparently been making strange and prolonged eye contact with other passengers, Lee said.
Lee Yoon-Joon said he had an uneasy feeling about the passenger sitting next to him before the incident. Yonhap News
The suspect told police he was stressed after recently losing his job.
The 33-year-old flier was arrested Sunday for violating aviation security law, a charge that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The suspect said he opened the door because he wanted to get off the plane quickly. REUTERS
The Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200 was carrying approximately 200 people for an hourlong flight from the South Korean island of Jeju to Daegu on Friday when the terrifying incident occurred. Its passengers included teenage track-and-field athletes who were en route to a competition, Asiana Airlines said.
The plane was 700 feet above the ground and about to begin preparing for its landing when the suspect opened the emergency door.
The suspect was arrested Sunday and could face up to 10 years in prison. AP
The suspect opened the airplane door when it was still 700 feet above the ground. YONHAP via AP
Video of the incident showed passengers’ hair whipping around as the wind rushed in.
Nine people were taken to a local hospital for examination, and all were later released. Witnesses described passengers crying and screaming after the door was opened.
Source: New York Post
