In a concerning aviation incident, a passenger, reportedly under the influence of meth, attempted to open the emergency door while a Korean Air flight was over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday (Nov 23), according to local reports.
The Incheon International Airport Police Corps apprehended a 26-year-old woman who tried to open the door of the flight en route to Incheon, a South Korean city near Seoul, following a 15-hour journey from New York.
Witnesses informed authorities that the woman exhibited signs of anxiety about 10 hours into the flight, making several attempts to open the exit door before flight attendants restrained her.
Subsequent drug screening revealed that the woman tested positive for meth, leading to an investigation by the Incheon International Airport Police for violations of the Aviation Security Act and drug abuse under the Narcotics Control Act.
During the investigation, the woman, identified as Ms. A, was described as "babbling," and authorities have requested a detailed drug appraisal from the National Forensic Service.
Reports indicate that the woman had entered the country after a six-month stay in New York, with no prior record of mental illness.
This incident marks the third attempt this year of a passenger trying to open emergency doors on Korean flights, including a previous case involving a drugged 19-year-old sentenced to three years in imprisonment.
Notably, this event comes a month after an off-duty Oregon pilot attempted to collide with a fully occupied plane during a days-long mental breakdown induced by a magic mushroom trip.
Joseph Emerson, facing charges of attempted murder for all 83 people on board, claimed he thought crashing into the plane would snap him out of his drug-induced delusional state.
Individuals attempting to open emergency exit doors may face up to 10 years in prison, with an additional risk of a $76,000 fine for drug-related charges, according to Fox News.
News ID : 2650