Passenger narrates how mentally unstable man tried to open airplane door mid-flight, fell unconscious and died

• Passenger recounts how a man tried to open a Kenya Airways plane door and had to be restrained mid-flight

• Man reportedly claimed he was mentally unstable before charging towards the plane exit during flight

• Kenya Airways confirms passenger died after becoming unresponsive before landing in Lagos

The incident reportedly caused panic among passengers, with several people moving to restrain the man after he charged towards the aircraft’s rear exit.

A beauty and lifestyle creator, Nene, who was on the flight, shared her experience of the incident.

According to Nene, she initially thought there was a fight because she could hear people moving back and forth around the aircraft and asking the man to calm down.

“That's what everybody thought because they were going off the cockpit, saying they should calm down. They were just walking back and forth in the aircraft.

“At some point, he was in the aft galley with the crew. They were having a conversation, and I didn't get the exact details, but then I heard him say he was mentally unstable and that he was requesting to see the captain, which he obviously couldn't, so it was just going back and forth again.

“The crew was trying to talk to him or whatever it was, and at some point, he just stood up from his seat again and charged towards the exit at the back, saying, ‘If I don't go see pilots, I won't open this door. I won't come down. Make I die.’”

Nene said passengers immediately moved towards the man and restrained him with the help of the cabin crew.

She said some male passengers used blankets provided by the cabin crew, along with a seatbelt, to hold him down and prevent him from reaching the aircraft door.

At that point, she noticed fear in the man's eyes as he repeatedly spoke about opening the door. She said he eventually appeared to lose consciousness and remained unconscious as the flight approached its destination.

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“Eventually, when we were about to land, the cabin crew was trying to prepare the cabin for landing, and they realised he was unconscious. That's when they tried to revive him. They did CPR and brought the defibrillator, but he was unresponsive.

“We even thought he was pretending just so they would untie him, but he wasn't. Even as I left the aircraft, the authorities were on board. A doctor was there, and he was still unresponsive.

“I do not know if he survived or not.”

Videos from the flight showed passengers in distress as the incident unfolded, with several people appearing alarmed by the man's attempt to reach the aircraft's exit.

Nene, who said the experience left her concerned about passenger safety, called for mental health assessments for people travelling by air.

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She said the incident made her question how such a situation could be prevented and argued that mental health checks should extend beyond airline crew to passengers.

“The passenger on the flight I was on yesterday tried to open the door mid-flight. I don't know if or how it's possible, but I think everybody going on a plane should be mentally assessed, not just the crew.”

However, Kenya Airways has now confirmed that the passenger died after the aircraft landed in Lagos.