A passenger on a Kenya Airways flight from Nairobi to Lagos died after attempting to open the aircraft's door mid-flight, the airline confirmed. The man, who reportedly claimed he was mentally unstable and wanted to die, was restrained by fellow passengers and crew but became unresponsive before landing.
Incident Unfolds Mid-Flight
The incident occurred on a Kenya Airways flight traveling from Nairobi to Lagos. According to a passenger named Nene, a beauty and lifestyle creator who was on the flight, the man initially caused confusion among passengers. "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," Nene recounted.
She explained that the man was in the aft galley with the crew, having a conversation. "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," she said.
Passengers and Crew Restrain Man
The situation escalated when the man stood up from his seat and charged towards the rear exit. "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 to restrain him with the help of the cabin crew. Nene 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. She noticed fear in the man's eyes as he repeatedly spoke about opening the door.
Man Becomes Unresponsive
Nene said the man eventually appeared to lose consciousness and remained unconscious as the flight approached its destination. "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," she said.
"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," she added.
Airline Confirms Death
Kenya Airways has since confirmed that the passenger died after the aircraft landed in Lagos. The airline posted an incident update on social media on October 7, 2026.
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.
"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," she said.
