An Air Asia passenger caused panic on a flight Saturday when he unexpectedly bolted for the emergency exit.
After being delayed an hour, the passenger's flight from Miri to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was taxiing down the runway when the man opened the exit door and jumped out, reports The Star.
"The raft automatically opened when the door was opened. The passengers inside the aircraft started screaming. The flight attendants immediately alerted the pilots and the plane was stopped in its track," passenger -- and Environment Department chief -- Siva Nathiran told the paper.
According to News.com.au, passengers became panicked and emergency procedures were activated. The plane was delayed again along with other outbound flights.
The man, identified only as Chong, is believed to be a 24-year-old off-duty crew member according to the Borneo Post. His motives remain unclear, but he could face legal action.
There have been a handful of incidents in the past of passengers tampering with the plane's emergency door.
In May 2011, a Delta passenger tried to open the door while the plane was in-flight to Boston. Not long after, in September, a passenger had to be subdued on a Thomson Airlines flight when he tried to open the plane's emergency doors about 45 minutes into the flight. And, there was that time in February of this year that a man opened an emergency exit to help out a mom with a crying child.
TXT 24
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