The moment passengers punched and tie up man as he tried to open emergency exit on board plane

• Mark Ansley from Auckland says he was awoken by panicked screaming 
• A 27-year-old man had become agitated and was trying to exit the plane
• A group of passengers stunned him and tied him to a seat with cable ties
• The man, who lives in Sydney, has now had a medical assessment 

A flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney descended into chaos when an agitated passenger attempted to jump out of the emergency exit.

The Vietnam Airlines flight from Vietnam to Australia had been airborne for around two hours when passengers reported hearing panicked screaming.

New Zealander Mark Ansley claims he and a group of fellow fliers were forced to physically restrain the man, who had begun to kick the emergency exit, attempting to jump out of the plane. 

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Passenger Mark Ansley took a photograph of the man who was restrained on board the flight

 

Passengers on the Vietnam Airlines flight became anxious when a man kicked the emergency exit (file photo)

I tried to knock him out! New Zealander saves man's life mid...

 

'This p***k tried to kill himself and all others onboard VN773 by jumping out emergency exit,' he said on his Facebook page.

The man, who had become agitated, was claiming he had been kidnapped and drugged, and that there were people in Sydney waiting to kill him. 

Mr Ansley told New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ: 'I was having quite a good sleep and I just heard screaming, really loud panicked screaming.

'I sat bolt upright and looked down towards the first bulkhead where the first exit row is and there was a guy at the exit door trying to kick it open. 

 

It's impossible to open the emergency exit door during flight due to the difference in air pressure inside and outside the aircraft

'A cable tie was handed to me and I couldn't get it around his hands because he was fighting too much, so that's why I decided to stun him or knock him out, which didn't work.

'But eventually I did stun him enough to stop him struggling. It was very scary, I was really shaken. It's fight or flight isn't it, and I tend to flight.'

Mr Ansley, who was flying home to his six-year-old son, said he and the other passengers tied the man to some seats, and tried to find out if was travelling with anyone.

He believed the passenger was in some sort of drug-induced state.

Passengers did not know that it is impossible to open the emergency exit door in flight due to the high altitude.

As the plane climbs, the pressure outside the cabin decreases relative to that inside the cabin, and this difference in pressure keeps the door sealed.  

The Australian Federal Police confirmed they were alerted after a 27-year-old man from the Sydney was restrained by airline staff and passengers after he allegedly tried to open an exit door on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney.

The man had an initial medical assessment at St George Hospital and was then issued a notice to appear in court for the offence of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

He is due to appear at Downing Centre Court on December 16, according to an AFP spokesman. 

Vietnam Airlines are now taking statements from staff on board the plane.