The story of the pilot sucked into the air at 10,000 metres

Around 27 minutes after the flight from Birmingham to Malaga departed, two of the six cabin windows were broken. The story of this British Airways Flight 5390 is an example of the fact that miracles exist.

It was June 1990. AND Tim Lancaster took off from Birmingham airport bound for Spain. Alastair Atchison was his co-pilot and there were 81 passengers on board. As the plane began to climb, the pilots made themselves comfortable and loosened their seat belts.

While the staff was preparing to prepare the food service, the pilots heard a very loud noise and the fuselage filled with condensation. As if immersed in a nightmare from which they could not wake up, the left windshield separated from the fuselage.

Captain Tim Lancaster He was ripped from his seat and sucked out the window more than 10,000 meters above sea level. The force also erupted from the cockpit door, nearly knocking flight attendant Nigel Ogden to the ground.

Atchison could not believe what was happening, and the first class passengers fell into a state of shock.

Decompression in the cabin caused the navigation console to fly into the air, the throttle control was blocked, which caused the plane to continue to gain speed during descent. To cause even more chaos, the cabin door flew open and papers and debris began flying into the cockpit.

Meanwhile, the captain’s body was still outside, frozen. Flight attendant Nigel Ogden miraculously managed to close Lancaster’s seatbelt, while flight attendants attempted to calm passengers, secure loose items and prepare emergency positions.

Atchitson had no choice but to begin a very rapid emergency descent, to reach an altitude that offered sufficient oxygen, because the plane was not equipped to provide it to everyone on board. He reactivated the autopilot that had been temporarily deactivated and made an emergency call.

We had to save the captain who, at that moment, had half his body outside the plane. Ogden was suffering from frostbite and was exhausted from the effort of holding Lancaster back. Two assistants came to help him.

At one point, everyone thought the captain was dead, but the co-pilot ordered the cabin crew not to release his body for anything in the world. I was afraid he would fly and hit the left engine, causing a fire or engine failure.

In the midst of that terrible odyssey, Atchitson received clearance from air traffic control to land in Southampton (southern England). Clinging tightly to Lancaster’s body, they prepared for the maneuver.

What could be called a real scene from an action movie, but this time without actors or makeup, British Airways Flight 5390 landed safely and without any seriously injured passengers. Lancaster was immediately taken to hospital to be treated for frostbite and multiple fractures to his body. Ogden’s bravery left him with a dislocated shoulder, half of his face frozen and frostbite damage to his left eye.

Subsequent investigations revealed the mystery: a replacement windshield had been installed 27 hours before the flight. Despite the approval of the maintenance manager on duty, 84 of the 90 windshield fixing screws were too small, while the other six were too short.

Human error could cost the lives of both the crew and passengers of this British plane flying to Malaga. What some call fate or luck wanted this event, worthy of a Hollywood film, to have a happy ending. Everyone lived to tell the tale, and of course, co-pilot Atchenson and the rest of the crew were decorated for their bravery.

Source: The Sun