A Kenya Airways passenger has been confirmed dead after attempting to open a cabin door mid-flight from Nairobi to Lagos.
According to a senior official at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the man was restless and aggressive as he tried to access the cockpit and later attempted to open the aircraft’s rear door while it was still airborne.
The airline crew and passengers onboard restrained him, tying his hands behind his back for the rest of the flight to prevent further disruption. 
Roughly 20 minutes before landing, around 9:20 pm, the passenger was found unresponsive.
The cabin crew administered first aid and followed standard emergency procedures. The aircraft landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 9:41 pm. It was then that the medical personnel waiting on the tarmac examined him and confirmed he had died.
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Official Statement from Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways issued an official statement acknowledging the medical emergency and the death. The airline’s public statement focused on the medical response and did not detail the attempts at the door or cockpit.
The NCAA confirmed the earlier disruptive behaviour and said police have taken over the investigation.
“Upon further examination, the medical personnel confirmed that the passenger had passed away,” Kenya Airways said.
Videos recorded by passengers showing the panic inside the cabin circulated rapidly on social media as some narrated their personal experiences on the aircraft.
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Although one passenger explained that the deceased made mention of being mentally unstable, his medical history, the identity, nationality, and any possible motive have not been publicly released.
Attempts of this kind are treated as serious security incidents regardless, because they create panic and can interfere with the crew’s ability to manage the flight. Hence, the police have begun investigating the circumstances of both the disruptive behaviour and the death, but no official cause of death has been announced.
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