Airplane passengers Man beaten up while trying to open door mid-flight (5 photos + 1 video)
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning on board Copa Airlines flight CM204, en route from Brasilia to Panama. The flight was proceeding smoothly until half an hour before landing, when one of the passengers ran to the back of the plane with a plastic knife. He wanted to take the flight attendant hostage in order to open the door of the aircraft. 
"The flight attendant started screaming, her colleague tried to stop the man, but he couldn't because he was too strong," said 51-year-old photojournalist Cristiano Carvalho, who witnessed the scuffle. 
Passengers grabbed the man, who appeared to be attempting to land early. He initially resisted, but calmed down after being hit multiple times. 
"He was beaten so badly that he almost lost consciousness," Carvalho added. 
Copa Airlines officials say that after landing in Panama, national security officers removed the passenger from the plane and then took him to the police.
The airline thanked the crew and passengers for their selfless actions.
"The crew responded quickly to the situation and, with the support of the passengers, applied the necessary security measures to keep the situation under control until landing in Panama," the spokesman said.
