Can Airplane Exit Door Be Opened During Flight? Video Shows Terrified Passengers After Man Opens Hatch

Passengers on a recent flight experienced every traveler's worst nightmare when a man opened the door of the airplane while they were in the air.

The plane was 600 feet off the ground and minutes from landing in South Korea when it happened.

Witnesses say a passenger sitting next to the emergency exit door suddenly removed the plastic cover and pulled the lever, at which point 194 terrified travelers watched as the door slid open.

A video shows the tense moments after the incident.

But how did he manage to do this?

"I think the most important thing to identify in this story is the phase of flight that this occurred in," Jamie Gibson tells Inside Edition. "This was at the landing of the aircraft when they are going in for their final approach. It actually is possible to open an emergency exit door."

Gibson, who is the founder of Aviation Hospitality Training Co., explains that the man could not have opened the door at 30,000 feet.

"It is physically impossible to open that door when the cabin is pressurized and it's at its normal cruising altitude," she says, much to the relief of plane passengers everywhere.

As for those passengers in South Korea, nine had to be treated for breathing difficulties after the plane safely landed on the runway.

The man who opened the exit door on that Asiana Airlines flight was detained by airport police on suspicion of violating aviation security laws after deboarding the plane.

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