Brazil: A chaotic scene unfolded on a Copa Airlines flight from Brazil to Panama on Tuesday when an unruly passenger attempted to open the emergency door mid-flight. According to the New York Post, the incident occurred just 30 minutes before landing, sparking panic among passengers.
According to sources, the incident happened when a man armed with a plastic knife from his food tray rushed to the back of the plane. Witnesses described how he tried to take a flight attendant hostage, threatening to injure himself if the attendant did not comply. This suspect’s alarming demand was for the flight to open the airplane’s emergency door.
A video of this anxiety-provoking scenario has been posted on microblogging site X. The video shows the unruly passenger being restrained by fellow travelers after trying to open the plane door 30 minutes to landing. Then, the bloodied suspect was taken away in handcuffs by authorities who boarded the aircraft.
As the New York post reports, photojournalist Cristiano Carvalho had seen the man try to open the door thirty minutes before the aircraft touched down. “A flight attendant started screaming, and another tried to hold him back, but couldn’t because he was too strong,” he said.
“He went past the back emergency door after the warning, then he started moving forward and trying to open it” he added.
This is when passengers saved him from harm and fought the man to stop him from opening the plane’s emergency door, the 51-year-old recounted. He said that despite his initial struggle against the man’s strength, fellow passengers eventually succeeded in restraining the airhead after beating him bloody.
The Copa Airlines stated that Panamanian security forces removed the passenger after landing and turned him over to judicial authorities.
Airline officials commended crew members and passengers on board for teaming up to restrain a passenger who tried to open a door of the plane. “The crew responded promptly, and in cooperation with several passengers, followed the correct safety procedures that brought the event under control until the airplane landed in Panama,” said the airline spokesperson. “Thanks to professionalism, no loss of safety by flight and passengers occurred.”
WATCH the viral video here:
VÍDEO — Passageiro tenta abrir porta de avião em voo Brasília–Panamá; Caso aconteceu na manhã da terça-feira (5), minutos antes de aeronave pousar na Cidade do Panamá. Passageiro foi detido pelas autoridades. pic.twitter.com/gDTyB5fwg3
— Nelson Carlos dos Santos Belchior (@NelsonCarlosd15) November 5, 2024