A "crazed" passenger on board a Thai Smile Airways flight ripped an emergency exit door open just moments before takeoff. The incident took place on Thursday on Flight WE169 travelling from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Bangkok.
According to a spokesperson for Thai Smile Airways the plane was preparing to taxi when an unnamed male passenger, who was reportedly drunk, exploded in an outburst and pulled an emergency exit door open. This caused the Airbus A320's inflatable slide to deploy on the tarmac.
Eighty six passengers on board the plane "screamed" in confusion, according to the Daily Mirror. Aviation officials quickly pinned down the "drunk" passenger, removing him from the plane before detaining him.
Local media described the man as a "crazed foreigner" who was "allegedly intoxicated," according to Mirror, which added that the stunt caused over $19,700 in damage. A spokesperson for the airline later issued an apology for the incident, which caused inconvenience to the other passengers on the plane.
"The incident occurred when the plane was about to depart from Chiang Mai International Airport for Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok," they said. "After the aircraft door had been successfully closed there was a wait for a taxi to take off.
"A foreign male passenger ran to open the emergency exit door next to the left wing of the plane. The incident caused the emergency door to be opened entirely and an emergency slide unfolded," the spokesperson continued.
"The captain immediately suspended the flight and notified ground officials and security personnel to control the incident. The foreign man was detained but it is not yet clear what his motivation was to do this."
