The low altitude of the airplane led to less pressure inside the cabin.
The passengers on an Asiana Airlines flight received the fear of their lives on May 26 when a passenger managed to open a jet door moments before landing. But how precisely was the passenger able to open the door given that the jet was still in flight?
Recap of the Asian door fear
In case you missed it, an Airbus A321 was arriving in Daegu on Friday afternoon when a passenger from Asiana Airlines unlocked the door before being arrested.In the middle of the flight, the passenger, a man in his 30s, succeeded in opening the jet door.
An Asiana spokesman asserted that the passenger, who was seated in one of the emergency seats, allegedly yanked the door open at a 700-foot altitude, barely two or three minutes before landing.
Twelve people were on board, and nine of them were taken to the hospital with minor injuries from hyperventilation. Six crew members and 194 passengers were on board.
You opened the door in what way?
Opening an airplane door mid-flight is often challenging due to the high cabin pressure, which places thousands of pounds of strain on the door as a result of pressurization. However, as the airplane descends, the pressure inside and outside the aircraft begins to level off, which results in less force being exerted to the door.
To CNN, Asiana Airlines stated:
The plane is automatically set up to change the cabin pressure in accordance with height. When the plane is flying at a high altitude, it is impossible to open the door; but, when it is descending and about to land, it is possible.
The passenger opened the door at 700 feet in the air, which he could not have done at 30,000 feet while the aircraft was at cruising altitude. The fact that everyone was buckled up was fortunate considering that the aircraft was about to land.
The investigation is underway.
Authorities have said they will investigate whether Asiana Airlines followed guidelines for keeping emergency exits adequately. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of South Korea will also send out a team to investigate whether any shortcomings in aircraft maintenance contributed to this incident.
According to Reuters, aviation expert Sohn Myong-hwan of Sehan University in South Korea said:
It is extremely dangerous during takeoff and landing, thus the flight crew should have stepped in. It seems difficult to me that the airline will be able to avoid any potential liability in this circumstance.
The guy who opened the door was detained upon his arrival at Daegu Airport on Friday; he testified to the police that he had been under stress as a result of losing his job and that he felt “uncomfortable” and wanted to escape the airplane as soon as possible.
