Sichuan Airlines co-pilot sucked halfway out of window, captain says
SHANGHAI: The co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday was "sucked halfway" out of the plane after a cockpit windshield blew out, local media reported, citing the aircraft's captain.
Captain Liu Chuanjian, hailed as a hero on social media after having to land the Airbus A319 manually, told the Chengdu Economic Daily his aircraft had just reached a cruising altitude of9,800m when a deafening sound tore through the cockpit.
The cockpit experienced a sudden loss of pressure and drop in temperature and when he looked over, the cockpit's right windshield was gone.
"There was no warning sign. Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a bang. The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window," he was quoted as saying.
"Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned ... and I couldn't hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges," he said.
The co-pilot, who was wearing a seat belt, was pulled back in. He suffered scratches and a sprained wrist, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said, adding another cabin crew member was also injured in the descent.
None of the plane's 119 passengers was injured.
An investigation into the incident is under way.
The flight, Sichuan Airlines 3U8633, left Chongqing on Monday morning and was bound for the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. It made its emergency landing in the south-western city of Chengdu. - REUTERS
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