The flight had been in the air for minutes when the pilot was sucked out of the cockpit window
A terrifying simulation has revealed what happened to a pilot after he was sucked out of the cockpit window mid-flight.
Back in 1990, Captain Tim Lancaster and co-pilot Alistair Atcheson had been flying a British Airways flight for just 13 minutes when Lancaster was sucked out of his seat.
While flying from Birmingham to Malaga, Spain, the two windows in the cockpit cracked and completely shattered, sucking the pilot from his seat and leaving his head and torso dangling out of the window.
A simulation shows what happened to the unfortunate pilot (YouTube/Zack D Films)
Flight attendant Nigel Ogden managed to save Lancaster’s life, after he grabbed the pilot’s legs.
Even though the crew were doing everything they could to keep hold of Lancaster, his head was continuously banging on the roof of the plane, and they assumed he would not have survived the injuries.
Meanwhile, Atcheson did his best to land the plane safely.
Ogden later told The Sydney Morning Herald: “I whipped round and saw the front windscreen had disappeared and Tim, the pilot, was going out through it – he had been sucked out of his seatbelt, and all I could see were his legs.
“I jumped over the control column and grabbed him round his waist to avoid him going out completely.
“His shirt had been pulled off his back and his body was bent upwards, doubled over round the top of the aircraft.
A reconstruction of the horrifying moment (Discovery)
“His legs were jammed forward, disconnecting the autopilot, and the flight door was resting on the controls, sending the plane hurtling down at nearly 650 kmh through some of the most congested skies in the world.
“Ogden started slipping out of the opening as well, but a second cabin crew member called John Heward rushed into the cockpit and grabbed him by the belt, before another flight attendant strapped himself into the pilot’s chair and helped hold the chain of people down.
A simulation shared on YouTube by Zack D. Films has revealed what happened, showing Lancaster dangling out of the window as a steward holds onto his legs from inside.
Incredibly, the flight ended up landing at Southampton Airport, with both Lancaster and Ogden having sustained only minor injuries.
