Panic erupted on an Air Asia plane on Friday when a passenger leapt up, opened the emergency door and jumped out as the aircraft taxied up the runway.
The terrifying drama occurred at Miri, Borneo, on a flight carrying around 200 passengers to Kuala Lumpur.
When the man, believed to be a 24-year-old from China, opened the door of the Airbus the automatic chute unfolded and he slid down it.
Flight attendants immediately told the pilots, who immediately powered down the engines.
Witness Siva Nathiran told The Star: “The flight to Kuala Lumpur was supposed to take off at 7.40pm, but was delayed for more than an hour. When the plane was already accelerating on the runway and was about to take off, a young man suddenly opened the emergency door and jumped out.
“The raft automatically opened when the door was opened. The passengers inside the aircraft started screaming. The flight attendants immediately alerted the pilots and the plane was stopped in its track.
“After that, I saw teams from the airport security as well as those from the Fire and Rescue Department rushing to the scene.”
The “jumper” has been arrested, according to reports.