Passenger Opens Emergency Exit While Waiting in Line to Get Off, Asked Why They Did It

Incident at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, USA
Passenger Opens Emergency Exit After Safe Landing
"Extreme Anxiety" Sits on Wing, Eventually Rescued

A passenger on a passenger plane that landed safely opened the emergency exit door without permission and walked out, prompting the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to launch an investigation, which was reported belatedly. On the 4th (local time), local media KIRO 7 News reported, "Around 5 p.m. on the 22nd of last month, a passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport runway in Washington state, opened the emergency exit and escaped without authorization."

A passenger opened the emergency exit and walked out on a commercial airplane. KIRO 7 news footage

At the time, the passenger plane had landed safely without any issues, and passengers were disembarking in order. According to the video, a female passenger wearing a red shirt and black pants opened the emergency exit door, stepped on the wing with a backpack on, and walked out. She looked under the wing, and seemingly thinking it was higher than expected, sat down hesitantly and waved her hand to signal for help to the staff.

Soon after, a catering truck employee spotted the woman, and airport firefighters arrived to assist her in getting down. The time she spent on the wing after opening the emergency exit was about 11 minutes and 30 seconds. Later, the passenger told the rescue team and police, "I became extremely anxious while waiting for my turn to disembark, so I tried to get out quickly through the emergency exit."

It has been confirmed that no significant damage occurred to the passenger, airline, or airport due to this incident. Perry Cooper, the airport spokesperson, said, "The airport police response team decided to send the passenger to the hospital for evaluation," adding, "There were no injuries from this incident, and other operations were not affected." An Alaska Airlines spokesperson also stated, "Although the passenger caused a disturbance, the issue was resolved safely."

The FBI is reportedly investigating the incident to understand the specific circumstances. The current affairs weekly Newsweek reported, "The FBI and local authorities have launched a detailed investigation," and "Alaska Airlines is conducting an internal review to assess whether safety protocols and response measures were properly followed." It also added, "This incident may prompt discussions within the airline industry on how to handle similar disruptions during peak travel seasons."