After a passenger tried to open an emergency exit in midair, a flight attendant who intervened is unable to resume work for weeks with a fractured leg.
Plus Ultra Lneas Areas Flight 701 was travelling from Madrid to Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday when a passenger began disturbing other travellers.
An airline spokesperson told Business Insider the man was slapping and shouting at the person asleep next to him.
“The crew acted quickly, calming the situation between the two,” they said, adding that the disruptive passenger was moved to another seat.
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Moments later, he tried to open one of the plane’s emergency exits, the airline said.
A video shared on social media appears to show cabin crew scrambling toward the man to restrain him while concerned passengers look on.
During the incident, one of the flight attendants suffered a partial fracture of his fibula, a lower leg bone, the Plus Ultra spokesperson said. He has been treated, but the injury will keep him off work for a few weeks, they added.
The unruly passenger was subdued in the back of the plane, accompanied by two crew members, until they reached Caracas, where he was handed over to local authorities, the airline said.
“In no case was the safety of the flight or those on board compromised,” the spokesperson said.
While somebody reaching for an emergency exit is frightening, it is effectively impossible to open one midflight.
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