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A passenger is in serious trouble after opening an emergency exit door and causing a slide to deploy on a Thai Airways flight. The incident took place at Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) on February 7th and under Thai law he faces huge fines, up to 20 years in prison, and even the death penalty.
CNN is reporting that Wong Sai Heung, a 40-year-old Canadian citizen, was arrested on the scene after he sprung the slide. Thai Airways flight TG121 was preparing for departure to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) when he opened the door. No word on his reasoning was released by authorities, but they noted that he seemed stressed. His actions caused a chain reaction that delayed around 2,295 passengers on 13 flights, including eight that had to circle in the air before being allowed to land. With the Airbus A320 unable to move with its slide delayed, the gate was unable to be used for other flights.
Mechanics were able to make repairs and get the flight on its way around 12:34 AM. Heung now faces potential imprisonment of up to 20 years, a fine of $16,700 to $22,300, and even the death penalty (although Thailand has not executed anyone since 2018) if found guilty.
Anthony’s Take: It will be interesting to see how this plays out and his motive. If found guilty, he’s going to face a stiff punishment for this incident.
(Featured Image Credit: Chiang Mai International Airport.)
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1 comment
Wow. This happened the same day I arrived in CNX. I was lucky my delayed flight didn’t arrive when this occurred.
On a separate note, I’m a firm believer in harsh penalties to dissuade people from doing things that could easily harm others but I’m aghast at the prospect of this poor schmuck – idiot though he may be – spending the rest of his life in prison for this. I suspect that a massive fine and enjoying the comforts of prison as a fereng for a year would be more than adequate to penalize him and dissuade others in the future.