What Happened When a Pilot Was Sucked Out Mid-Flight?

TL;DR

On June 10, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 faced a terrifying incident when a windscreen panel blew out, partially sucking the pilot out of the cockpit. Remarkably, the co-pilot regained control, allowing for a safe emergency landing with only two injuries, highlighting critical maintenance oversights.

Transcript

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Key Insights

• 😘 British Airways Flight 5390 experienced a terrifying incident when one of the windscreen panels blew out mid-flight, sucking the pilot partially out of the cockpit.
• 🎮 The co-pilot, with the assistance of the flight crew, successfully regained control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing, saving the lives of the passengers and crew.
• 🎮 The incident highlighted the importance of proper maintenance checks and quality control in the aviation industry.
• 🏆 Captain Tim Lancaster's survival and the actions of the crew were hailed as heroic and resulted in awards for their bravery.
• 🥳 The incident led to policy changes in British Airways' maintenance procedures to ensure the proper inspection of repaired or replaced parts.
• 🐕‍🦺 The aircraft involved, County of South Glenmorgan, was repaired and returned to service before being sold to a Romanian airline and eventually scrapped.
• 🎨 British Airways retired the Bac-111 aircraft, replacing it with more cost-effective and quieter designs from Airbus and Boeing.

Questions & Answers

Q: What caused the windscreen panel to blow out?

An investigation revealed that the windscreen panel had been replaced hastily without proper quality control checks, making the bolts vulnerable to dislodgement.

Q: How did the co-pilot manage to regain control of the aircraft?

The co-pilot, aided by the flight crew, fought with the controls to stabilize the plane's descent and engage the autopilot, allowing them to make a distress call and secure an emergency landing slot.

Q: What were the injuries sustained by the pilot and crew?

The pilot suffered from frostbite, severe bruising, and fractures, while one crew member dislocated his shoulder and also suffered from frostbite.

Q: What changes were made in British Airways' maintenance policies after the incident?

The incident exposed a lack of quality control checks in maintenance policies, leading to improvements in the proper inspection of repaired or replaced parts.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• On June 10th, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 took off from Birmingham, UK, bound for Malaga, Spain.

• Thirteen minutes into the flight, one of the windscreen panels unexpectedly blew out, sucking the pilot out partially from the cockpit.

• Despite the chaos, the co-pilot managed to regain control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing at Southampton Airport, resulting in only two casualties.