Flight 5390: The Harrowing Story of the Pilot Who Got Sucked Out of the Cockpit Window

This is the story of BA Flight 5390, one of the strangest and most incredible incidents in commercial aviation, as well as an inspiring tale of bravery, determination, and, ultimately, professionalism. Call it a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the human body, and you're not wrong.

The BA Flight 5390 is also a harrowing tale that kicks the butt of most Hollywood blockbusters, and not only because it happened in real life. It's the story of a near-crash caused by faulty maintenance work, but which didn't happen because a group of men were determined to hold on until they landed back to safety. And hold on they did, literally so.

On the morning of June 10, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390, a 1971 BAC One-Eleven Series 528FL jetliner carrying 81 passengers and 5 crew members, took off from Birmingham Airport in England, destination Malaga, Spain. Captain Timothy Lancaster was at the controls, with new arrival Alastair Atchison in the co-pilot seat. Both had extended experience with this type of aircraft and were expecting a routine, safe, and uneventful flight in normal weather conditions.

It was anything but that.

Minutes into the flight, with the aircraft at 17,300 feet (5,273 meters), the side window of the cockpit on the captain's side blew out, sucking Lancaster out the window. The sudden depressurization of the cabin caused the door to the cockpit to also burst forward, alerting flight attendant Nigel Ogden of the severity of what had happened before he could even see Lancaster dangling out the window, with just his feet inside the cockpit, jammed into the control column.

It was this that saved Lancaster from certain death, but it was also what propelled the aircraft into a nosedive at a speed of 400 mph (643.7 kph), jamming the controls and preventing Atchison from taking over manually. Lancaster's body curved backward on the aircraft, held in place by the feet still inside the cockpit, flailing about as he lost consciousness from the shock of the exit and the combination of lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures. Ogden had already rushed to grab his ankles and was keeping him in place until the other male flight attendant onboard came to assist him.

That scene alone would make anyone lose their cool, but Atchison's job was even more difficult than just the consideration that his captain had probably been killed and was still dangling on the outside of the aircraft. He had to regain control of the plane and get it back to safety, or everyone else onboard would suffer the same fate. On this consideration, he urged the two men holding onto the captain to continue to do so: not just because it was the humane thing to do, but also because letting go meant the body would be sucked into the engine and the entire aircraft would be downed.

So even after regaining control of the aircraft, Atchison allowed it to continue its descent until it reached 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) and a reduced speed of 170 mph (273.5 kph). This ultimately saved the captain's life – and everyone else's, because it allowed Atchison to hear the instructions from the ground control and was thus able to land safely at Southampton Airport.

From the moment of the routine takeoff to the harrowing but perfect landing, just 32 minutes had passed, but during this time, the crew faced a situation no amount of training could have prepared them for. The passengers thought they were about to die, and Atchison performed a feat almost unprecedented in commercial history: he landed an aircraft without his captain, without knowing the airport, and without the proper documentation required in advance. And with the body of his captain still hanging outside of the plane.

But perhaps the most impressive part of the story is that Lancaster survived. Though most specialists said that he should not have lived, he did. Not only that, but he only suffered some bruising, a broken thumb, fractures to his right arm and wrist, shock, and frostbite. Ogden, who saved his life, also suffered frostbite, cuts, and bruises to his arm, and he was also later diagnosed with PTSD.

Five months after being sucked out the cockpit window, Lancaster was back on the job, flying airplanes for British Airways.

As for what caused the window to fly out minutes into the flight, a later investigation determined that a maintenance crew had replaced the window just 27 hours before. The bolts used were not the proper size because they didn't perform a thorough study of maintenance documentation and replaced them on a like-by-like basis. The plane had already been flying with incorrectly-sized bolts holding the window in place: 84 were of too small a diameter, and 6 were the correct diameter, but incorrect length.

The incident and its aftermath were included in an episode of the Mayday docuseries aptly called "Blow Out." You can see it in full in the video below if you have some 50 minutes to spare and would like a taste of an aviation story that plays out in a stranger way than fiction.

Every couple of years, photos from the recreation used in the docuseries start making the rounds online, going viral, and, in the process, bringing this incredible story of bravery and super-human strength back into the spotlight. Where it rightfully belongs.