Pilot Of This Aeroplane Was Hanging Out Of Cockpit At 17,000 Feet; Know What Happened Next

The windscreen of the British Airways Flight 5390 on the captain's side detached with a loud, explosive sound.

Representative image

On June 10, 1990, passengers boarding British Airways Flight 5390 from Birmingham to Malaga had no idea of the harrowing incident that lay ahead. The flight, which carried 81 passengers and six crew members, would soon become the setting for one of aviation's most remarkable survival stories.

According to the reports, Flight BA5390, operated by a stretched BAC 1-11-500 aircraft with a maximum capacity of 119 passengers, departed Birmingham at 08:20 local time. The journey seemed routine until, 13 minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 17,300 feet above Didcot, Oxfordshire, disaster struck. At precisely 08:33, the windscreen on the captain's side detached with a loud, explosive sound.

The sudden decompression that followed was catastrophic. Captain Timothy Lancaster was sucked out of the cockpit, his body thrust headfirst out of the aircraft. In a desperate bid to survive, he managed to hook his legs on the flight controls, preventing a complete ejection. This action inadvertently disengaged the autopilot, causing the plane to descend rapidly.

In 1990, the windshield of British Airways Flight 5390 detached at an altitude of 17,000 feet, causing a rapid decompression in the cockpit, which led to the captain being partially ejected from the aircraft.

At the time of the incident, Nigel Ogden, a flight attendant, was en… pic.twitter.com/RrhUXS0cDc

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Mid Air Rescue

Co-pilot Alistair Atcheson, reacting quickly, donned his oxygen mask and took control of the aircraft. In the meantime, steward Nigel Ogden rushed to the flight deck and held onto Captain Lancaster's legs, securing himself to a chair for support. Simon Rogers, another steward, soon arrived to assist, strapping himself into the pilot’s seat and taking over from Ogden, who had injured his hand during the rescue attempt.
With Rogers maintaining a firm grip on the captain, the crew worked tirelessly to stabilize the situation. They reassured passengers, instructing them to fasten their seatbelts, while Atcheson skillfully piloted the aircraft to a safe landing.
Captain Lancaster was immediately taken to Southampton General Hospital, where he was treated for shock, a fractured elbow, wrist, and thumb, as well as frostbite on one hand. Despite the severe injuries, his survival was nothing short of miraculous.