‘194 Passengers Onboard’ Asiana Flight Door Opens Mid-Flight... "Passenger Opened It Just Before Landing" (Summary)

"Worried Above All About Children's Psychological State"

Witness: "Tried to Jump Out of the Open Door"

An incident occurred on an Asiana Airlines passenger plane traveling from Jeju to Daegu, where a door opened just before landing. Fortunately, no fatalities from falling occurred, but significant chaos ensued as many passengers experienced breathing difficulties.

According to police and the aviation industry on the 26th, at 11:49 a.m., Asiana Airlines flight OZ8124 departed Jeju Airport, and just before landing at Daegu Airport at 12:45 p.m., a door suddenly opened.

Door opened just before landing [Photo by Yonhap News Agency and reader submission]

While both flight attendants and passengers were seated with seat belts fastened, waiting for landing, a man sitting next to emergency exit door number 3 suddenly pulled the door handle. Although several flight attendants were present in the cabin at the time, none were able to prevent him from opening the door.

Witnesses reported, “Mr. A tried to jump out through the open door, but passengers and crew worked together to stop him from jumping, and he was subsequently subdued.”

As the door partially opened, a piercing noise and strong wind rushed into the cabin. Flight attendants shouted, and passengers screamed. Dust blew into the cabin. Nearby passengers were terrified. The plane descended and landed with the door open for more than five minutes.

Among the passengers on board, about 10 experienced symptoms of breathing difficulties, and nine of them were transported to a hospital immediately after landing for treatment and have since been discharged.

Among the passengers were many elementary and middle school track and field athletes from Jeju who were scheduled to participate in the National Youth Sports Festival held in Ulsan on the 27th.

Coach B of the track and field team said, “The door suddenly opened before the plane’s wheels touched the ground,” adding, “The flight attendants looked very flustered and urgently shouted for everyone to sit down.” He continued, “There were 38 students on board, and they were all scared, crying and screaming,” expressing concern, “I am most worried about the children’s psychological state.”

The mother of athlete B (age 12) said, “The children were trembling and crying, very frightened,” and added, “The children near the boarding gate seemed to have been the most shocked.”

An Asiana Airlines official stated, “The flight attendants were seated on the opposite side and could not immediately subdue the man when he touched the door handle. Everyone remained seated with seat belts fastened and landed on the runway. Upon arrival on the ground, the crew quickly subdued the man and handed him over to the police.”

The man who opened the emergency door is Mr. A, a man in his 30s residing in Jeju. Preliminary investigations indicate that he boarded the plane alone at Jeju Airport and has no special occupation.

Police reported that Mr. A admitted to opening the door but has not disclosed his motive. The police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident under charges of violating the Aviation Security Act.

Oh Myung-so, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited Daegu Airport on the day, personally inspected the aircraft involved in the accident, and instructed related agencies and airlines at a meeting to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident, strengthen emergency door management, and prepare measures to prevent recurrence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.