Curious monk sparks flight alarm

Kolkata: For Waza Thunga, it was just about a breath of fresh air.
The 45-year-old Buddhist monk from Myanmar started feeling claustrophobic moments after taking his seat on the Kolkata-Gaya-Yangon Air India flight on Monday morning.
Fidgeting with discomfort, the monk leafed through the safety manual and promptly opened the emergency exit above the left wing seconds before the pilot was about to pull out of the parking bay.
As the crew and other passengers watched in horror, the emergency chute rolled out.
The crew rushed to his seat. An unfazed Thunga who understands little Hindi or English told them that he was feeling "suffocated". As a result, the plane was delayed by over seven hours.
Everything prior to this from the check-in counters to the immigration desks and finally boarding had progressed smoothly. All 139 passengers, mostly pilgrims, had taken their seats before Thunga on seat 11A decided he needed to breathe free.
Both the commander and co-pilot rushed out of the cockpit to check on the passenger. Outside though, things were in a flux. Panic-stricken securitymen and airline officials had cordoned off the aircraft.
An air safety officer of the DGCA said, "Though it is a minor incident, it posed a safety hazard. The passenger acted out of curiosity."
Following procedure, all passengers were asked to deplane. The window was brought back and attached to its frame. The air pressure inside the cabin was then checked before seeking clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The over-wing emergency exit of the aircraft is used to deplane passengers in case of an emergency.
24/11/09 Times of India

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