Given the recent accidents and woes in the airplane industry, I can't really blame one United passenger for freaking out. Still, I don't know what they were thinking. They tried to open the door to the plane. The only thing out there is wind and a several thousand-foot drop.
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Fortunately, you can't actually open an air plane door during a flight due to cabin pressure. If you're wondering why the passenger freaked out, well it's because oxygen masks deployed during an United flight. One passenger, Parker Pitman, said a passenger freaked out afterward.
"One person had a panic attack and ran to the aircraft door, presumably to open it," Pitman shared. "None of the flight crew nor cabin crew had ever heard the announcement before, and it was a very odd situation."
They weren't the only one to freak out. Several passengers went into panic mode when an automated emergency warning told them to put on their oxygen masks. However, only a few oxygen masks actually deployed causing mass anxiety across the cabin. To make matters worse, it turns out to be an accident. There was no real concern to worry.
United Releases Statement
The incident happened on Boeing 777-200ER from Paris to Washington, DC, last Wednesday, June 12. The few grabbed their oxygen masks while the rest panicked. According to the United passenger, several people tried to force open the compartments when their oxygen masks didn't deploy. The warning said, "Wait for the oxygen masks to fall from the compartment, then put them over your head and pull down."
To make matters even worse, flight attendants reportedly had trouble getting inc contact with the pilots. All of this led to a chaotic scene in which passengers thought they may die. United Airlines said that only a small number of masks actually deployed. A representative for the organization released a statement about the incident. They said, "On June 12th, a small number of oxygen masks inadvertently deployed on United flight 914 from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Dulles International Airport."
"The air pressure in the cabin was normal for the entire flight, the aircraft landed safely as scheduled and customers deplaned normally."
This is unlikely to soothe anyone's fears about flying. That's especially true after recent accidents.
