The passenger who tried to open the plane door in the middle of the flight is arrested: ‘Terrible’

It was a mid-flight crisis.

A plane passenger was arrested after allegedly trying to open a door during an in-flight meltdown.

“I’ve been flying for 10 years and this is the first time I’ve come across something like this,” fly witness Yaowarat Pradungchat told Viral Press.

The “terrible” event happened in December. 19 during a Thai Airways flight from Taiwan to Bangkok, Thailand.

The Airbus 320 hit a cruising altitude when the man, believed to be a Thai national, ran screaming down the aisle, scaring his fellow passengers on board. Passengers screamed as the man tried to open the door and collided with crew members who tried to restrain him.

Thankfully, they were eventually able to subdue the flyer and strap him into his seat for the remainder of the four-hour flight.

Upon arrival in Bangkok, authorities boarded the plane and apprehended the individual, as seen in the accompanying footage.

“It was really scary,” recalled Pradungchat, who praised the “heroes” who tied him up and brought the situation “under control.”

Police Colonel Chakpong Nuchpadung, superintendent of the Suvarnabhumi Airport police station in Bangkok, where the plane landed, said the suspect was removed from the plane and taken into custody.

However, the officer said he was later released “on compassionate grounds” after authorities learned he suffered from mental health issues.

“Relatives of the man confirmed that he has a history of mental illness and had previously received treatment, although they were not sure if he had missed his medication,” Nuchpadung said. He said the man’s company, which is based in Taiwan, had sent him to Thailand because of his “mental health condition and his inability to perform his duties”.

A drug test revealed no substance in the traveler’s system.

The officer said no charges had been laid by Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which “chose not to pursue legal action”, adding that “no harm was done” and the facility was sympathetic to the man’s mental health condition.

If the flyer had been charged, he could have faced up to seven years in prison and hefty fines for endangering passengers and aircraft, according to local laws.