Reality star talks about horror flight: "It was very, very scary"
Bali (Indonesia) - Passengers on a flight from Bali to Melbourne experienced a moment of shock when a woman suddenly tried to open a plane door in the middle of the Indian Ocean. An Australian reality star was also on board and reported what happened.
Brooke Jowett (32), known from the show "Australian Survivor", explained what had happened on her Instagram profile.
According to her, the reason for the woman's dangerous behavior was that she wanted to sit in a different row to get a seat that could be reclined.
"So she decided to try to open the doors, which apparently triggered something to do with the emergency slide. And yes, it was a big bloody panic, it was very, very scary, but we're fine," the 32-year-old reported.
The woman had initially argued with the staff, then tugged at the door. A man who was nearby reacted with lightning speed and pulled her away. "He was obviously an off-duty police officer and saved the day. Thank God," she said.
After two hours in the air, the plane had to turn back
The plane left Denpasar Ngurah International Airport at around 8.40pm (local time) on Monday.
After about two hours of flight time, the woman suddenly tried to open the door at an altitude of about 10,000 meters, the airline confirmed to news.com.au.
The plane, with over 200 passengers on board, was eventually forced to return to the airport of departure.
Once there, the troublemaker was taken into custody by local authorities. The flight was eventually canceled and the stranded passengers were offered an alternative flight.
Jetstar had already struggled with problem passengers before
Although the passengers' fear is understandable, nothing would probably have happened, as Professor Doug Drury, Head of the Department of Aviation at Central Queensland University, explained.
An airplane door cannot be opened just like that due to the pressure at the altitude the plane was at.
Just last weekend, there was another incident on another Jetstar flight, from Melbourne to Bali, in which the plane had to turn back.
Two men had an argument on board, which ultimately ended in a brawl . The low-cost airline emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for disruptive and offensive behavior.