On June 10, 1990, as passengers were preparing to board British Airways Flight 5390 from Birmingham to Malaga, they knew little about the harrowing experience that awaited them. The ensuing events unfolded into one of aviation’s most extraordinary tales of survival. During the flight, the pilot, Captain Timothy Lancaster, was unexpectedly sucked out of the aircraft, clinging perilously to the window frame for a tension-filled 20 minutes.
The occurrence of sudden and explosive decompressions in an airplane poses a serious threat to the lives of those on board. However, defying all odds, the captain managed to survive the ordeal, eventually recounting the incredible story of his survival.
According to the New York Times, the flight was reasonably well loaded on the day of the incident, with 81 passengers and six crew. Flight BA5390 was operated by the stretched BAC 1-11-500. This had a maximum capacity of 119 passengers seated five abreast. It departed Birmingham at 08:20 local time.
13 minutes into its journey from Birmingham, the aircraft was soaring at an altitude of 17,300 feet above the quaint railway town of Didcot, Oxfordshire, precisely at 08:33. It was at this juncture that the narrative of BA 5390 took a drastic and ominous twist. The windscreen on Captain Lancaster’s side abruptly detached from the aircraft, accompanied by a loud and explosive sound.
In 1990, the windshield of British Airways Flight 5390 came off at an altitude of 17,000 feet. This triggered a sudden decompression in the cockpit, resulting in the captain being partially ejected out of the aircraft.
As luck would have it, Nigel Ogden, a flight attendant,… pic.twitter.com/nULmfc2Pbl
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In 1990, the windshield of British Airways Flight 5390 came off at an altitude of 17,000 feet. This triggered a sudden decompression in the cockpit, resulting in the captain being partially ejected out of the aircraft.
In a harrowing sequence of events, the abrupt and explosive decompression resulting from the detached window propelled Captain Lancaster headfirst out of the ascending aircraft. Fortunately, he managed to snag his legs on the flight controls, preventing a complete ejection. Nevertheless, this action disengaged the autopilot, compelling the plane into a descent.
The co-pilot, Alistair Atcheson, swiftly donned an oxygen mask and took control of the aircraft. Meanwhile, on the flight deck, steward Nigel Ogden secured Captain Lancaster’s legs, clinging to a chair for support. Simon Rogers, another steward, hurried onto the flight deck, strapped himself into the pilot’s seat, and relieved Mr Ogden, who sustained a hand injury while attempting to rescue the captain.
Read the full originally published story at ndtv