Pilot Tim Lancaster recalled how he managed to survive being sucked out of a cockpit after being up in the air at 23,000 feet from his hospital bed.
It was in June 1990, during Flight 5390, which was headed from Birmingham, UK, to Malaga, Spain, that this bizarre incident occurred.
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What happened will leave you shocked at how Lancaster survived this incident.
What led to Lancaster being sucked out
Embed from Getty ImagesAbout 15 minutes into the flight with 81 passengers, a windscreen panel suddenly blew out. The aftermath was the pilot being ripped out of his seatbelt and got sucked out of the cockpit window. He was suspended in the air for 20 woeful minutes.
What made matters worse
Embed from Getty ImagesLancaster’s legs disconnected the autopilot and the flight door resting on the controls, leading to the plane hurtling at nearly 650km/h. It also didn’t help that the skies were congested, which made co-pilot Alastair Atchison’s task even harder.
The team came to the rescue
Embed from Getty ImagesThankfully, flight attendant, Nigel Ogden, rushed into the cockpit to grab Lancaster’s legs as he was out of the window.
Ogden was being sucked as well, so a second cabin crew member, John Heward, rushed in and grabbed Ogden by the belt. Then, another flight attendant strapped himself into the pilot’s chair and helped hold all of them down.
Crisis Averted
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the second flight attendant holding the chain of people down and co-pilot Atchison succeeding at taking control of the aircraft, the British Airways flight managed to secure an emergency landing at Southampton Airport, and Lancaster survived the horrific incident.
Lancaster survived, but he paid a price
Embed from Getty ImagesLancaster unfortunately sustained multiple injuries, including frostbite, fractures, and shock. When NBC reporters asked him whether he was scared to die while the incident took place, Lancaster admitted that the thought did cross his mind “for a moment or two.”
In the 2005 documentary Mayday, he also revealed that he couldn’t breathe because he was “facing into the airflow.”
Why the windscreen panel blew out
Embed from Getty ImagesThe windshield bolts had been replaced with slightly smaller ones, which made the windshield less secure. This conclusion was revealed when the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) conducted a thorough investigation into the matter.
Ogden’s account of what happened
Embed from Getty ImagesIn an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Ogden recounted how he thought he would lose Lancaster, but “he ended up bent in a U-shape around the windows.”
He also recounted how “his face was banging against the window with blood coming out of his nose and the side of his head, his arms were flailing and seemed about 6 feet long.” What he couldn’t forget, however, was how his eyes were wide open throughout the whole incident.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed
Embed from Getty ImagesThe courageous flight crew members who helped save Lancaster’s life and those of the 81 passengers on board were awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, a civilian honor in the UK, which was well-deserved for their heroism.
Lancaster recounts what he was aware of
Embed from Getty ImagesLancaster talked about how he wasn’t bothered much about being outside the aircraft but more about being unable to breathe.
He remembered trying to position his body to breathe better, but he didn’t remember much else.
Lancaster shattered expectations
Embed from Getty ImagesHis coworkers thought that he died after they landed but miraculously, he survived the whole incident. What’s even more striking is the fact that Lancaster was back flying just months after the strange incident. However, he retired in 2008.
