Video footage has captured the terrifying moment a plane door flew open mid-flight, leaving passengers and crew terrified.
An Asiana Airlines jet door opened as it was coming in to land in Daegu, South Korea, on Friday afternoon, leaving passengers gripping onto their armrests for dear life.
It has since been revealed that a man in his 30s, who was sitting in the emergency seat, yanked the door open when the aircraft was about 700 feet above the ground and about two to three minutes from landing in the city 150 miles south of Seoul.
The police arrested a male passenger once the plane landed and say he confessed to opening the door but did not say why he did it.
The plane carrying 194 passengers landed safely, but some panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulties and were immediately taken to a hospital.
Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas of Airline Ratings described the incident as “very bizarre.”
He told CNN: "Technically, it’s not possible to open those doors in flight. 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."
Video footage shows passengers gripping their seats as the wind billowed into the aircraft.
Witnesses said children began shaking with fear and crying when the door of the Asiana Airlines plane opened suddenly.
"Children quivered and cried in panic. Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most", one woman said.
The plane was carrying 48 teenage athletes who were set to compete in a national sports event in the city of Olsan.
In January, a Russian plane's rear door sprang open shortly after takeoff in the world's coldest region.
The pilot was forced to make a rapid emergency landing at Magan in the Siberian region of Yakutsk.
