United Airlines passenger arrested after opening cabin door triggers emergency slide in Houston

According to air traffic control audio cited by local news outlet KHOU, pilots immediately shut down the engines and requested emergency services on site. Emergency crews and police responded quickly, securing the situation without further disruption to airport operations. United Airlines confirmed that "the flight landed safely, and airport operations continued without disruption." The pilot informed air traffic control:

“We’re gonna shut down the engines. (...) We had a passenger open up the forward cabin door on deceleration, so we’re gonna shut ’em down here. If we could get crash, fire, rescue, airstairs, and the police out here that’d be great.”

Incidents involving attempts to open aircraft doors have become more common in recent years. Aircraft are pressurized during flight so doors cannot be opened due to pressure differences; however, once on the ground and pressure equalizes, it is technically possible for someone to open an armed door before reaching the gate—triggering emergency slides.

A similar event happened in 2023 when a passenger aboard an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 opened an exit door while approaching Daegu, South Korea. That incident caused panic onboard and resulted in minor injuries due to hyperventilation among some passengers.

Emergency slide deployments are rare but costly for airlines due to required repairs and operational disruptions. Repacking and testing a deployed slide can cost thousands of dollars with total expenses potentially reaching tens of thousands when inspections and replacements are needed.

In another example earlier this year, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300ER lost an emergency slide after departing New York JFK for Los Angeles but returned safely with no injuries reported. In 2023, another Delta 767 diverted to Salt Lake City following accidental deployment of an emergency slide during ground servicing; no serious injuries were reported in either case.