Flight 5390 of British Airways, which occurred 32 years ago, is one of the most extraordinary survival events in the history of commercial aviation.
On a beautiful morning on June 10, 1990, the BAC 1–11–500 aircraft, designated as Flight 5390, took off from Birmingham heading towards Málaga–Costa del Sol Airport in Spain as per its usual schedule. The aircraft had been in service with British Airways since 1988 and was regularly maintained. There were a total of 81 people on board, including 4 flight attendants and 2 pilots.
Captain Timothy Lancaster (in bed) recovering at Southampton Hospital, alongside crew members (from left to right): Alistair Atchison, John Howard, Nigel Ogden, Susan Prince, and Simon Rogers.
The pilot in command of the flight was Captain Tim Lancaster, who was 42 years old at the time and had over 11,000 flight hours of experience. The co-pilot was Alastair Atchison, 39 years old, with 7,500 flight hours.
Before each flight, the technical department conducts two checks. According to reports, the aircraft had no technical issues, and all parameters were normal.
The flight took off at 8:33 AM without any announcements from Birmingham Airport. The UK Met Office indicated that the turbulence levels in the air were normal. As the aircraft flew over the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire, reaching an altitude of 5,300 meters, the two pilots began to loosen their seatbelt straps at the thigh and shoulder.
About 30 minutes after takeoff, a loud explosion shook the cockpit. Two windscreen panels shattered, and Captain Tim Lancaster was sucked out of the aircraft. Fortunately, flight attendant Nigel Ogden, who was present, grabbed Captain Lancaster’s ankle. Given that the aircraft was traveling at high speed and low pressure at that altitude, pulling the captain back into the cockpit seemed impossible.
“I turned around and saw the windscreen disappear, Tim was sucked out of his seat. I could only see his legs. I jumped over the controls to hold onto Tim’s legs. His shirt was ripped up, and his back was bent, pressed against the front of the plane. Everything seemed to be sucked out. Even an oxygen tank nearly hit my head,” recalled Ogden.
At that moment, not only was Captain Lancaster’s life “hanging by a thread,” but the fate of everyone on board was also in jeopardy. If flight attendant Ogden had not held onto the captain, there was a high risk that the pilot would be sucked into the aircraft’s engine, causing a massive explosion, potentially leading to the plane crashing to the ground with all aboard perishing.
While the attendant held onto the captain, co-pilot Atchison took charge of flying the aircraft. He decided to descend and find a way to land the plane as quickly as possible. He was guided by Air Traffic Control to Southampton Airport. While the co-pilot communicated with the control tower at Southampton Airport, Ogden began to lose strength. Another flight attendant, Simon Rogers, realized that Ogden could not hold onto the captain for another 15 minutes until landing, so they used additional seatbelts to secure the captain’s legs to the seat.
For the 20 minutes that Captain Lancaster hung outside the cockpit, he faced wind speeds of 630 km/h and temperatures of -17 degrees Celsius. His jacket was torn to shreds.
Despite concerns that the runway at Southampton might be too short for a BAC 1-11, the aircraft was unable to release fuel to reduce weight before landing. Co-pilot Atchison had no other choice. The flight landed safely at Southampton Airport.
When the aircraft landed safely, Lancaster was brought back into the cockpit. Emergency services were already on standby at the airport. Lancaster survived with partial frostbite, bruising, shock, and fractures in his arm, hand, and wrist. Flight attendant Nigel Ogden was the only one severely injured, suffering from frostbite and a dislocated shoulder.
Doctors stated that if they had not landed early or if the co-pilot had continued flying at an altitude of 5,000 meters, Lancaster could have died from lack of oxygen.
Investigator taking photos of the cockpit pressure explosion scene of the BAC 1–11–500.
Investigators quickly launched an inquiry into this dangerous incident. The investigation team found fragments of the cockpit window and several component pins in the village of Cholsey, Oxfordshire, 9 km from Didcot.
Investigators discovered that the bolts used to secure the windscreen were too short, measuring only a few centimeters. They had been installed the night before the incident occurred when engineers replaced the windscreen during maintenance.
The inadequate length of the bolts meant they could not withstand the pressure differential between the cockpit and the external environment when flying at 5,000 meters. This difference was the cause of a pressure explosion that shattered the window. The investigation revealed serious lapses at the British Airways maintenance facility in Birmingham, where engineers carelessly rushed through the process.
Co-pilot Atchison and flight attendants Susan Gibbins and Nigel Ogden were awarded commendations by the Queen for their heroism. Atchison also received the Polaris Award in 1992 for his efforts during the incident.
As for the BAC 1–11–500, it continued to operate with British Airways for another 3 years before being transferred to Jaro International Airlines of Romania in 1993. After 30 years of service, the aircraft was “retired” in 2001.
