A co-pilot of Sichuan Airlines was sucked halfway out of an aircraft’s cockpit after its right windshield was blown off at an altitude of 30,000 feet in the middle of a flight.
The incident, which occurred in the morning of May 14, forced flight 3U8633, bound to Lhasa from Chongqing, to make an emergency landing at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport.
The windshield blew out without prior signs, resulting in a change in cabin pressure that sucked half of the co-pilot’s body out of the cockpit, China News Service reported.
It all happened at temperatures between minus 30 and minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 22 and minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit).
The co-pilot, who has not been identified, stayed calm throughout the ordeal that apparently lasted for 20 minutes.
“There was no sign before the windshield burst. Just a huge noise,”CNN quoted Capt. Liu Chuanjian as saying.
He added, “When I looked at the other side, the co-pilot was partially blown out of the aircraft. Luckily, he had the belt buckled up. Many devices were malfunctioned and the plane was jolting strongly. It was very difficult to control.”
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement:
“The crew were level-headed and dealt with the crisis decisively and properly, avoiding a major disaster, which shows the superb technical skills and professionalism.”
An investigation into the cause of the incident is now underway.
Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.
Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.
We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.