Footage shared on social media showed the terrifying moment after a passenger opened an emergency exit door shortly before a plane landed.
On Friday (May 26), the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 was about to land in Daegu, South Korea, when a man pulled the emergency exit handle at an altitude of about 700 feet, as reported by CNN.
The plane was flying from the island of Jeju and was reportedly two to three minutes from landing in the city when a suspect - alleged to be a man - extended the door partially.
This led to frightened fliers on board trying to stop the person, however, their efforts were in vain after the unlocked door sent air whipping throughout the cabin. Videos shared online show them gripping their armrests before the plane safely landed.
Watch the harrowing incident below:Among the 194 passengers onboard were several teenage athletes who were on their way to a weekend sporting event in the South Korean city of Ulsan.
According to Sky News, twelve people were taken to hospital for treatment as a result of the terrifying incident. Emergency officials said they suffered breathing problems and severe ear pain.
A passenger gave their account of the horrifying ordeal to Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency and said: "It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board through broadcasting," adding, "I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this."
The mother of one of the teenage athletes on board also revealed: "Children quivered and cried in panic. Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."
The suspect, identified only as a man in his thirties, was arrested at Daegu International Airport and admitted to pulling the lever of the exit door, but would not reveal why he did it.
"It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him. We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him," an officer told the publication.
Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas of Airline Ratings reflected on the incident to CNN and described it as "very bizarre," saying: "Technically, it’s not possible to open those doors in flight."
Thomas stated that the landing speed of an A321 is about 150 knots (172 mph) which means that winds of that speed are passing the aircraft.
"It seems implausible that the door could be opened in the first place and then against the airstream technically impossible, but somehow or another it has happened," the aviation expert added.
Furthermore, Asiana Airlines also told the outlet: "The airplane is automatically set to adjust the pressure of the cabin according to the altitude of the aircraft. When the aircraft is high up in the air, it is impossible to open the door but when the altitude is low and close to landing, the door can be opened."
