Vietnam man next to crying child opens plane door

[February 16, 2012]  HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- A mom with a screaming child wanted a quick getaway from a plane on the tarmac in Vietnam and asked for help. The man next to her obliged by opening the emergency exit and triggering the escape slide.

But that's as far as they got.

A state media report on Tuesday's incident at Ho Chi Minh City airport says nobody used the slide. It wasn't clear if they got second thoughts or if the cabin crew intervened.

The man, identified as 29-year-old Le Van Thuan, told authorities the child's mother asked him to open the door so she and the child could exit faster.

An airport official says the man will be fined up to $950, and it will cost $10,000 to refit the slide.

[Associated Press; By TRAN VAN MINH]

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