‘I want to get out’: Man tries to open plane door during flight

A man tried to open the aircraft doors when he had a panic attack mid-flight.

The incident occurred onboard a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Around an hour before BA 263 was due to land, the man tried to pull the door lever at the back of the plane, reports The Guardian, while screaming “I want to get out”.

Passengers tried to intervene, including Dean Whyte, brother of boxer Dillian Whyte, who grabbed the man in a bear hug and pulled him away from the door.

Mr Whyte was travelling to the Saudi capital to support his brother in a fight on Saturday night.

Cabin crew also helped calm the man down, eventually returning him to his seat where he remained for the rest of the flight.

A British Airways spokesperson told The Independent: “Our cabin crew cared for a customer who suffered from a panic attack during the flight.

“We are sorry for any concern this caused our customers.”

Although frightening for fellow passengers, it is not possible to open the cabin doors while an aircraft is in flight – cabin pressure doesn’t allow it.

In addition, doors are further secured by a series of electrical and/or mechanical latches.

This incident follows a number of others where passengers have tried to open the aircraft doors mid-flight.

In June, a flight was forced to turn back to Spain after a drunk passenger became upset and attempted to open the emergency exit.

Air Europa flight UX89 was headed for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and had got as far as Portugal when the pilot made the decision to return to Madrid.

The unnamed man lurched for the cabin door not long into the flight.

Also in June, a woman opened the emergency exit on a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft while it was still on the runway, thinking it was the door to the toilet.

Flight PK702 from Manchester to Islamabad was all set for an on-time departure, but was delayed by almost eight hours due to the passenger’s mistake.