The Pilot Who Was Sucked Out of His Plane’s Front Window

On June 10, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 was a scheduled flight from Birmingham to Málaga, Spain, when the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression (a sudden, violent loss of cabin pressure) over Didcot, England. An improperly installed windscreen panel blew out, causing Captain Timothy Lancaster to be partially ejected headfirst from the cockpit, with only his knees caught on the flight controls keeping him from falling.

Flight attendant Nigel Ogden rushed to grab Lancaster and held on as the plane rapidly descended. Other crew members took over when Ogden grew exhausted, all while the crew assumed Lancaster was likely dead. First Officer Alastair Aitchison managed to stabilize the aircraft, broadcast a distress call, and ultimately land safely at Southampton Airport — about 20 minutes after the incident began.

Remarkably, Lancaster survived with frostbite, bruising, and fractures to his right arm, left thumb, and right wrist. Ogden suffered frostbite and a dislocated shoulder and later developed PTSD. No passengers were seriously injured.

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The cause was traced to a maintenance error: 84 of the 90 screws used to install the windscreen 27 hours before the flight were the wrong diameter and could not withstand the cabin pressure difference at altitude. Lancaster returned to flying within five months and continued his career until retiring in 2008.

Further Reading: Wikipedia, Business Insider