Chinese passenger opens plane’s emergency door to get some fresh air before take-off

The 25-year-old passenger said that it was very hot and stuffy inside the plane, so he wanted to open a window

A passenger sitting on a plane waiting to take off from the airport in Sichuan’s Mianyang city was feeling stifled by the heat recently, so decided to open a window.

Much to his surprise, as he pulled on the handle beside him, instead of the window coming down, the entire “wall” collapsed and an emergency slide was deployed.

The incident occurred at around midnight on Saturday. The 25-year-old passenger surnamed Chen was detained afterward. He told police that he really wasn’t aware that the handle was part of the emergency exit door that he was sitting right beside, insisting that he was only looking to crack open a window because it was very “hot” and “stuffy” inside of the plane, according a report from Chinese news portal The Cover.

Chen will be held behind bars for 15 days. He also faces the possibility of a fine. It’s reported that the unnamed airline suffered 70,000 yuan in losses because of his mistake. Presumably, he will also be placed on China’s infamous travel blacklist.

Of course, Chinese airlines should be getting used to this kind of thing by now. Past motives for accidentally opening the emergency hatch and deploying the evacuation slide include: being in a hurry to disembark, mistaking the emergency exit for the bathroom door, wanting to get some fresh air, and curiosity.

[Images via The Cover]