A passenger who allegedly tried to open a plane door mid-flight is facing up to 23 years in prison. Thomas Raymond Forster, 41, was on a Qantas flight Monday from Karratha Airport to Perth Airport in Australia when he allegedly began verbally abusing a fellow passenger. He began hitting and kicking the seat in front of him, police allege, and abused flight attendants who tried to intervene. When the flight attendants asked him to fasten his seatbelt ahead of landing, he allegedly tried to open the forward passenger door while the plane was still in the air. After the plane landed, Australian Federal Police officers escorted Forster from the aircraft, and he allegedly became aggressive with the officers, harming one of them. He was charged with one count of harming a public officer, which carries a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison, and one count of endangering the aircraft, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years. He also faces up to $17,200 in fines if convicted. He appeared in court Tuesday and was granted bail.
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