A co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines aircraft was almost sucked out of a shattered cockpit window when the plane was flying at an altitude of 30,000ft.
The co-pilot survived the incident with a few cuts on his face and a sprained wrist. A flight attendant also suffered an injury from the incident but all 119 passengers on-board remained unharmed.
Flight captain Liu Chuanjian and his crew managed to make an emergency landing at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport in southern China, reported cnn.com.
At the time of the incident, the Airbus A319 aircraft was travelling from Chongqing, China, to Lhasa, Tibet.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) official Jiang Wenxue was quoted by Xinhua as saying: “The situation was very critical. The windshield was blown off at a 10,000m high altitude.
“The aircraft was in a state of low pressure and a temperature was -30°C to -40°C.”
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By GlobalDataAccording to China News Service, Chuanjian said that there was no sign before the windshield exploded, only a huge noise that appeared suddenly.
Chuanjian further 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.”
An investigation into the incident has already been launched.
