Shocking moment passenger tries to stab flight attendant and open emergency exit

News.com.au

15-05-2025

This is the terrifying moment a crazed passenger tried to stab a flight attendant and open the emergency exit while mid-flight.
Shocking footage shows Francisco Severo Torres, 34, threatening fellow passengers on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston in March 2023.
About 45 minutes into the journey, a flight attendant reportedly raised the alarm after noticing shady behaviour near one of the plane's emergency exits.
Torres was confronted by the flight attendant and asked if he had tampered with the door.
That was when he got out of his seat and marched back over to the door.
Shocking footage taken by a fellow passenger shows Torres shouting that he was 'taking over this plane' and that he would 'kill every man on this plane'.
The crazed passenger then lunges at a flight attendant, trying to stab them with a broken metal spoon.
Torres beat the flight attended three times around the neck, according to federal prosecutors.
Passengers then tackled Torres and he was restrained with the assistance of flight crew.
Once the plane landed at Logan Airport the man was detained.
Torres later told police he had wanted to open the door to jump out of the plane – and said he knew many people would die if he did, according to charging documents.
Torres has pleaded guilty to the attack, admitting to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew using a dangerous weapon, according to the office of Massachusetts US Attorney Leah Foley.
This comes after a passenger was tackled by fellow flyers after attempting to pull the plane's emergency exit lever while at 35,000 feet.
The Plus Ultra flight 701 was heading from Madrid, Spain, to Caracas, Venezuela on 28 February when the incident took place.
The Airbus A330 was about halfway through its journey, flying high over the Atlantic Ocean when the man became 'restless'.
A Plus Ultra spokesman said: 'A passenger began to feel restless, annoying the person in the next seat with shouts and slapping him while he was asleep.
'The crew acted quickly, calming the situation between the two and relocating the passenger to another seat where he could not disturb anyone.
'Moments later, this individual suddenly went to one of the doors of the plane trying to manipulate it.
'Immediately, our cabin crew subdued the passenger and, following the action protocol, secured him in the back of the plane until he reached the destination.
'At all times he was accompanied by two people from the crew, lying on the ground and attended to avoid any possible altercation.'
The passenger was reportedly detained after the plane landed in Caracas.
It is unclear exactly what prompted the man to try to open the plane door.
It is nearly impossible to open modern plane doors after they have reached around 10,000 feet.
This is because the difference between the internal cabin pressure and the outside air pressure effectively seals the doors.
Some aircraft have a special flight lock feature that mechanically closes the door after the aircraft reaches a certain speed.