He guided the plane to the ground, and gently landed 35 minutes after the windshield failure started the madness. All flights are carried out by FAA and DOT or equivalent foreign authority approved aircraft operators. They weren't going to have the power to get back to an airport. This was the point at which the flight's storyline took a sudden and alarming turn. The question of who was the first-ever man to take a flight is a hot debate among aviation enthusiasts. Way wrong. The wing of the plane hit first and burst into flames. He decided to turn around and go back to Detroit -- which, to be honest, is probably the only good reason to ever go back to Detroit. According to the report, the aircraft did not experience any technical . Steward Nigel Ogden was the only other seriously injured party, suffering frostbite and a dislocated shoulder. 13 Captain Tim Lancaster at the age of 42 was an experienced pilot with 21 years of experience as a commercial pilot and over 1000 hours of flight time on BAC 1-11 aircraft.Alastair Atchison was the co-pilot of the flight and was also very experienced. No lives were lost, but in the captain's own hilarious words, it was "a bit like negotiating one's way up a badger's arse.". The same engine had failed twice on previous flights but restarted shortly after going out both times -- which, according to traditional aircraft maintenance guidelines, is totally just as good as actually working (you'll find out as this entry goes on that back then, Chinese airlines apparently just did not give a fuck). All four engines have stopped. The original windscreen had been primarily attached by bolts that were 2.54mm shorter than those specified. Sullenberger, now retired, speaks internationally on airline safety. He understood that pilots could operate planes using instruments only. Atchison also received a Polaris award in 1992 for his efforts amid the frightening and challenging conditions that faced him. (HD) CAPTAIN ALASTAIR ATCHISON LAST RETIREMENT ATC TRANSMISSION FOR JET2 ON THE 28-JUNE-2015Thank you for watching Please don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, AND . The captain of Flight 5390 is surrounded by the flight crew in his hospital bed. The two men tried with all their might to pull Lancaster back through the hole, but the slipstream was immense. All four engines have stopped. Naturally, there was concern in the cockpit, with the flight engineer exclaiming: I don't believe it all four engines have failed! Indeed, much more recently, May 14th, 2018 saw the same thing happen to a Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319 operating flight 3U8633 from China's Chongqing Jiangbei International (CKG) to Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA) in Tibet. With wheels up right on schedule at 7:20am and the aircraft steadily approaching its cruising altitude, captain Tim Lancaster and co-pilot Alastair Atchison released their shoulder harnesses and settled in for the three-hour flight. After the flight engineer tried and failed to revive the engine, the autopilot kicked in and tilted the plane 23 degrees to compensate for engine loss. As his co-pilot holds doggedly onto his ankles, both men seem desperate for the flight to. What makes this case different from any on the list is that there would be no limping back to the airport for a hard landing on the runway. Flight attendant Nigel Ogden, who had just offered the pilots a cup of tea, was the first to see the catastrophe unfolding inside the cockpit. Luckily, Captain Bob Pearson was an experienced glider pilot, guiding the 767 to RCAF Station Gimli. 13 minutes after the flight's departure from Birmingham, at 08:33 local time, G-BJRT was at an altitude of 17,300 feet over the railway town of Didcot, Oxfordshire. The crew knew at once that something had gone horribly wrong: 'explosive decompression'. an industry where women are still an extreme minority, part of the planes windshield came loose. Instead, it was their creativity, ambition, and perseverance that guaranteed their memorable place in history books. It had only joined BA in 1988, although it was not brand-new at this point. March 19, 2022 On June 10, 1990, one of the most incredible events in commercial aviation took place. His cool head and steady hand saw the plane land safely in under an hour, saving the life of all crew members and passengers on board. Yet, that fateful day in 1990 he more than earned his stripes among the brave, legendary pilots. However, this disengaged the autopilot, forcing the plane to descend. Yet, that fateful day in 1990 he more than earned his stripes among the brave, legendary pilots.When the windscreen smashed on British Airways Flight 5390, the pilot Tim Lancaster was sucked out from the cockpit by the decompressed air. First Officer Alastair Stuart Atchison and cabin crew members Susan Gibbins and Nigel Ogden were awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. McCormick fought to level out the plane, and got the wheels to the pavement, only to see the plane go skidding wildly off the runway. I believe the relief pilot kept his career at SQ. Ogden immediately grabbed Lancaster by the waist while chief steward John Heward rushed in to haul the debris of the cockpit door off the navigation panel, and shoved it out of the way into a toilet cubicle. Air traffic control: "5390 we've been advised it's pressurisation failure. The passenger cabin began to smell of sulfur. The airplane went through it with no problem at first. About. The crew were lauded for their heroic efforts in saving their captain's life and bringing all 81 passengers back to the ground. Eventually, the engines came back to life after the molten ash that clogged the engines solidified and broke off. In this case, all they had was the Hudson River. Flight BA5390 touched down at 7:55am, less than 200 kilometres from its origin. Mayday!" into the radio.' Eventually, with the help of another flight attendant, Simon Rogers, they freed Mr Lancaster's legs from the controls and Mr Atchison was able to . The Polaris Award is the highest decoration associated with civil aviation, awarded by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) to airline crews in recognition for acts of exceptional airmanship, heroic action or a combination of these two attributes. In a similar incident to BA Flight 38, this Cathay Pacific service from Surabaya Juanda International Airport in Indonesia suddenly lost the ability to change thrust as it neared Hong Kong, landing at almost twice the recommended speed. The co-pilot is Alastair Atchison (39 years old) with 7,500 flight hours. Saving the flight fell to Atchison, the co-pilot, who tried to get on the radio to declare an emergency, but couldnt hear the response because of the noises surrounding him. However, he somehow survived the tremendous ordeal, with just a handful of injuries to show for it. The flight touched down safely at Southampton at 08:55 local time. Alastair Atchison se retir de British Airways poco despus del incidente y se uni a Jet2. Photo: The cabin crew fought to keep a hold of Captain Lancaster's body. All four engines on a Boeing 747 failed at 37,000ft after the plane flew through volcanic ash while passing over Jakarta on 24 June 1982. Then, one by one, the engines began failing, clogged with volcanic ash. Luckily, at around 13,500 feet, the engines restarted successfully. ", At this point, the falling aircraft had about 23 minutes of glide time until it hit the ocean. Whilst some may take offence to the nature of his actions, there is no denying the ability of Manfred von Richthofen, a man who is still known to this day as the Red Baron. "It was like something from a disaster movie. After a pilot was recently forced to land a plane one-handed, due to his prosthetic limb falling off, we look at other miraculous airline escapes. Whilst some may take offence to the nature of his actions, there is no denying the ability of Manfred von Richthofen, a man who is still known to this day as the Red Baron. Like others on this list, the two were not particularly accomplished pilots. Co-pilot Atchison had managed to stay in his seat, immediately taking back the controls of the plane. Passengers reportedly scribbled notes to loved ones, while Greaves calculated how far the plane might be able to glide before reaching sea level (91 miles he deduced). But sometimes, things do go wrong. "An air hostess standing near us at the back of the plane started to cry. Lancaster, propelled by the sudden decompression, shot towards the window. His gift was also his downfall, however, as a former German student shot him down. The plane landed around 270 metres short of the runway, just beyond the A30. Japans attack on Pearl Harbor saw him perform a dramatic U-turn and he went on to contribute to over 50 combat missions. We'll warn you ahead of time, this one doesn't have as happy an ending as the rest. Like others on this list, the two were not particularly accomplished pilots. The co-pilot and four stewards were each awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, with Atchison also receiving the Polaris award for his airmanship. But as paramedics assessed him on a stretcher inside the cockpit, he awoke, telling them: "I want to eat.". Even County of South Glamorgan made its way back to the runway. So now he was plummeting toward the ocean, blinded by clouds and working with an artificial horizon system that was saying everything was OK (even though it plainly was not). By now his body had slipped further out the window and around to the side. He was going to have to set the plane down, which meant finding something other than a runway. The cabin suddenly filled with condensation mist. With shit officially getting real and the plane breaking up from the inside out, McCormick attempted a landing. To this day, their job is considered a prestigious career, desired by many. An oxygen bottle that had been bolted down just missed Ogden's head. The bang was the result of the left window panel flying away from the aircraft. Photo: British Airways Flight 5390: How A Pilot Survived 20 Minutes Outside A Flying Jet, London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Konstantin von Wedelstaedt via Wikimedia Commons. When he got to the corner posts, he realised the longer bolts weren't quite right, so retrieved six of the old bolts he had earlier removed and used those. Perhaps you even remember it occurring at the time? We have achieved many incredible feats over the years but few are as impressive as traveling into outer space. It seemed that he got thrust to certain death until a quick-thinking flight attendant grabbed his belt preventing him from being pulled out completely. This difference is what caused the decompression. But just 13 minutes after take-off, at 17,300 feet, a loud bang came from the cockpit as the internal door burst off its hinges. On the way, the engines started clicking off again. Back in the cockpit a few days later, Captain Tim Lancaster was about to learn this lesson the hard way. Just 11 bolts were still attached to the windscreen, while 18 were found loose nearby. It wasnt his only notable accomplishment in aviation. Indeed, it had originally entered service with West Germany's Bavaria Fluggesellschaft in 1971, which was renamed Bavaria Germanair in 1977. There were fears that the runway might be too short for the heavily fueled BAC 1-11. Oh, wait, the oxygen bags didn't drop because they're only deployed when the plane is above 14,000 feet, and they were a few thousand feet under that window. Though it was one engineer who fixed the wrong bolts to the plane, the report suggested his actions were merely a symptom of a culture that prioritised sticking to the schedule. He was not exactly viewed as an exceptional flyer - instead, he made the big time thanks to his extraordinary marksmanship. In their final report, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch concluded that "a series of poor work practices, poor judgements and perceptual errors eroded the factors of safety" and led to BA5390's incident. In this photo taken from the view of a plane window, smoke billows out from a plane that caught fire at McCarran international airport. With the plane's flight attendants holding Captain Lancaster in place, First Officer Atchison was able to regain full control of the aircraft, and set about initiating the process of an emergency landing. A striking photo of a distressed pilot hanging from the window of his BAC 1-11 has gone viral online. With its harsh climate, Alaska in the 1920s was definitely such an unwelcoming place for planes and pilots. Before the days of modern mapping systems, high quality radios, paved landing strips and advanced aviation technologies, flying over certain areas seemed to be nearly impossible. To their astonishment, he was still alive. Train Your Brain With This Top-Rated App For Only $29, Watch What Happens When You Throw Snow Onto Lava. All the top male pilots on our list represent extraordinary achievements related to flying but a number one position is for the very first pilot to make that boldest of excursions, Yuri Gagarin. Despite working alongside the still-in-tact right windscreen, he failed to notice that the bolts he was installing were sitting lower in the countersink. All the top male pilots on our list represent extraordinary achievements related to flying but a number one position is for the very first pilot to make that boldest of excursions, Yuri Gagarin.Yuri became the first human to venture into outer space on April 12th 1961 on the Vostok spacecraft. With wheels up right on schedule at 7:20am and the aircraft steadily approaching its cruising altitude, captain Tim Lancaster and co-pilot Alastair Atchison released their shoulder harnesses and settled in for the three-hour flight. Meanwhile, cabin crew members had entered the cockpit to hold on to Captain Lancaster's body. Astonishingly, the landing was successful and no injuries were sustained to any passengers. The guy who was really keeping it cool, however, was Lancaster, who was hanging out the window of an aircraft and exposed to the extreme cold. British Airways Flight 9 was flying from London to New Zealand in 1982, and was on one of the last legs of the trip, going from Malaysia to Perth, Australia. Today was the final flight for pilot Alastair Atchison from Alicante to Manchester. Explosive decompressions can cause a serious threat to life onboard an aircraft. With wheels up right on schedule at 7:20am and the aircraft steadily approaching its cruising altitude, captain Tim Lancaster and co-pilot Alastair Atchison released their shoulder harnesses and . I trust you are not in too much distress.. Could you really jump from a plane into a storm, holding 9 kilos of stolen cash, and survive? 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