Asiana plane’s door opens right before landing: Yonhap
No one was hurt in the incident, but some passengers experienced breathing difficulties due to shock. PHOTO: AFPSEOUL – South Korean police have launched an investigation after Asiana Airlines said a passenger opened a door on a flight shortly before the aircraft landed safely in the city of Daegu on Friday.
The Airbus A321 plane landed at Daegu International Airport at around 12.40pm local time after departing from the island of Jeju an hour earlier, the airport’s flight schedule showed.
No one was hurt in the incident, but nine people were transferred to a nearby hospital after suffering breathing issues, a Daegu Fire Department official said.
Eight of those taken to hospital were schoolchildren from Jeju, according to Jeju’s education office.
The authorities were questioning a passenger near an emergency exit row, Asiana officials said.
“Police are investigating the incident after a passenger who was sitting near the emergency exit said he touched its lever,” one of the officials said.
The plane was two or three minutes from landing when a male passenger sitting next to an emergency door opened a cover and pulled a lever, so the door opened about 200m above the ground, an Asiana spokesman said.
All onboard were seated with seat belts fastened because the plane was about to land, the spokesman added.
There were 194 passengers on the plane, according to Yonhap News Agency. REUTERS
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