An American man tried to open an emergency exit in the plane during a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. He also attacked a steward with a broken spoon. He risks a life sentence.
The incidents took place 45 minutes before the planned landing. The crew in the cockpit received a signal that a door was unlocked.
The man had failed to open the door completely. That is impossible during a flight, because of the air pressure difference inside and outside the plane.
Cabin crew soon suspected that the suspect was behind the release. Just before that, they had seen him at the door and confronted him about his behavior. The suspect then asked if there were cameras on the plane and attacked a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon. Other passengers overpowered him.
The 33-year-old man has been charged in Boston with disrupting a flight using a weapon. He allegedly confessed that he knew many passengers would die if he actually opened the door.
