The passenger was able to crack the door open which ultimately flung completely open causing air to rush into the cabin. The Airbus A321 aircraft had just taken off from Seoul, South Korea, and was 700 feet up and close to landing in in Daegu, South Korea, in just a few minutes.
Other passengers tried to stop the 30-year-old man whose identity has not yet been released but were unsuccessful. Twelve people sustained minor injuries during the mid-air incident. Some of the passengers were teenagers who were on their way back from and track and field competition.
See video below courtesy of twitter
When the incident occurred, initially people screamed in panic, and then after the door flew completely open, most were quiet as they waited for the pilot to land the plane. Passengers’ clothing and hair can be seen whipping around in the wind as the plane made its descent. Some of the passengers were suffering from ear pain after the door flew open, and the injured were having difficulty breathing as well as other minor symptoms.
After the Asiana plane safely landed, the passenger who opened the door was detained and arrested by airport police. It was heard that the man who opened the door was feeling overwhelmed. Aviation law bans passengers from handling any on board equipment handled by the crew including the emergency doors. Penalties for such an infraction could bring up to 10 years in prison.
It appears that the door that was opened was the L3 emergency door which is located behind the wing on the left side of the aircraft. There are 8 doors in total on the A321 which are plug type doors meaning that they cannot be opened when the cabin is pressurized. However, as the aircraft descends, the cabin depressurizes so the door may be opened once pressurization equalizes between the inside and outside of the airplane. Equalization happens at around 8,000 feet, so the aircraft of the Asiana flight was well below this level and the door therefore could be opened while still in the air.
Read more: Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Passenger Opens Door
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