Smoker tried to open airliner door during mid-flight

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A French woman who is terrified of flying admitted in an Australian court Monday that she drunkenly tried to open an airplane door mid-flight to smoke a cigarette.

Sadrine Helene Sellies, 34, was placed on a good behavior bond after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sellies was traveling on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to the east coast city of Brisbane on Saturday when the incident occurred at the start of a three-week Australian vacation with her husband, the court heard.

She walked toward one of the aircraft's emergency exits with an unlit cigarette and a lighter in her hand and began tampering with the door, prosecutors said. But a flight attendant intervened and took Sellies back to her seat

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/21/australia.tourist.ap/index.html

"I don't want the smoke to fill the cabin, because that would be rude. I'd better open the door."

LMAO

:rofl::wow:
That is like George W. Bush stupid.

As a Muslim, I will never touch the stuff, but still it just boggles the mind.

because of cabin pressure.

2. The airline probably served her all that alcohol.

Not all aircraft have doors that seal shut at altitude. Several types move the door laterally as they swing up, breaking the pressure seal as soon as the door begins to open. Depending on the type, her actions might have done no damage, or they might have brought the aircraft down.

she won't be using that line anymore. Is there a special Darwin award for people who try to take down a plane load of innocent people with them?

alternative nicotine systems when they have to fly? The patch, the gum, or lozenges can all be used to fight those in flight nicotine fits.

These folks are addicts, and I sympathise. However, there's no earthly reason a nicotine addict has to spit smoke at unwilling people in a confined space. There are alternatives to keep the crazies at bay.

And yes, when I was still able to do nursing, I was often the first to fight for the patches for smokers who were stuck in bed in my smoke free hospital. Being sick was bad enough. Being sick and going through withdrawal was too much.

As for this bird, I hope somebody cautioned her that alcohol and benzodiazipines can be a lethal combination.

It's called alcohol.