
Despite the fact that flying is still a mode of transportation used about 100 years ago, it has made life so much easier. Experts have even declared it to be the safest mode of transportation. Considering the hundreds, if not thousands, of flights that take place every day, a few crashes per year are nothing compared to the number of car accidents that occur every day.
Even with the safest mode of transportation, we still have a small percentage of events, and flight British Airways 5390 was a one-of-a-kind incident in the history of commercial flying. BA flight 5390 was a service from Birmingham (BHX) down to Málaga–Costa del Sol (AGP), Spain’s fourth-busiest airport.
Another day in the Boring Life of a Pilot
On June 10th, 1990, nothing had changed. For a long time, the same plane, the BAC 1–11–500, was used for this flight. The plane had been in the British Airways fleet since 1988 and had been properly maintained. British Airways is known for taking excellent care of their planes. There were 81 passengers on this flight, including four cabin crew members and two pilots.
Captain Tim Lancaster, who is 42 years old and has over 11,000 flight hours, piloted the plane. At the age of 39, Alastair Atchison, the co-pilot, had accumulated 7,500 flight hours. Both pilots had a lot of experience and had their fair share of in-flight issues as well as potential disasters that they were able to avoid because of their knowledge.

The aircraft passed both pre-flight and post-flight inspections, and there were no technical issues. The plane took off from Birmingham airport at 8:33 a.m. without incident. According to British weather, the level of turbulence was normal. The plane was gradually climbing to the required altitude for cruising to the destination. Commercial jets fly at an altitude of around 30,000 feet (8500 meters), but the BAC 1–11–500 was a smaller plane that cruised at 27,000 feet (8000 meters).
Explosive Decompression
Two of the cockpit windows shattered about 30 minutes after take-off, depressurizing the cabin and sucking Captain Tim Lancaster out. Lancaster was extremely fortunate because he would not have survived that day if one of the attendees had not acted quickly. Before disappearing out the window, flight attendant Nigel Ogden grabbed his Captain’s ankles. Lancaster could not be pulled back due to the high speed and low pressure at that altitude.
“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,” (Quote by Nigel Ogden)
It wasn’t just the Captain’s life on the line, but the lives of everyone on board. If Ogden didn’t catch the Captain in time, the Captain had a good chance of flying right into the Jet’s engine, destroying it and causing an explosion that would send the plane into a nose-dive crash. Everyone on board would have died as a result of this.
Co-pilot Atchison was attempting an emergency landing by descending as quickly as possible towards Southampton airport. Ogden was starting to lose his grip as the co-pilot spoke with flight control in Southampton. Another flight attendant named Simon Rogers realized that Ogden was not able to hold the Captain for another 15 minutes until the plane landed, so they used extra seatbelts to tie the Captain’s legs to the chair.

While all of this was going on, Lancaster was forced to remain in the same position due to the plane’s speed. The powerful speed combined with high winds from the high altitude ripped his shirt. One of the worst parts was that he couldn’t close his eyes for the duration, so he was constantly seeing potential death in the sky.
“Most terrifyingly, his eyes were wide open. I’ll never forget that sight as long as I live.” (Quote by Tim Lancaster)
Lancaster was able to return to the cockpit after the plane landed safely at Southampton airport around 8:50 a.m. The emergency services had waited for the plane to land before giving the Captain first aid. He was fortunate to escape with only minor injuries and his life. He was not deprived of oxygen, according to the medics, due to the quick descent. The Captain could have died from a lack of oxygen if the co-pilot had kept the plane at 27,000 feet for longer.

Everyone made it home safely at the end of the day. The entire crew can be seen in this photo surrounding their Captain, who has minor bruises on his chest and arms. The crew worked together to save not only their Captain, but also everyone else on board who was in grave danger.

Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?
7-ELEVEN is thought to have a lowercase "n" in its logo because the company president's wife believed that a logo with all caps would seem harsh, while a lowercase "n" would make it more graceful.

Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.

Smart girl saves her family more than 100 people in 2004 tsunami
In 2004, a 10-year-old girl saved her family and 100 other tourists from the Asian tsunami because she had learned about the giant waves in a geography lesson, it has emerged.

JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant
JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.

A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water
On June 10, 1986, two-and-a-half-year-old Michelle Funk fell into an icy creek and was submerged for 66 minutes. When rescuers pulled her out of the water, she was not breathing, had no pulse, and appeared lifeless. The doctors used various techniques to rewarm her blood and bring her back to life. She was successfully resuscitated and went on to lead a healthy life.

Kenyan Innovator Creates Smart Gloves That Translate Sign Language Into Audible Speech
In 2023, a Kenyan inventor Roy Allela invented smart gloves that can convert sign language movements into audio speech, for his six years old niece who was born deaf.

stranded hikers rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature
Stranded hikers were rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature that an awful lot of folks don't know a lot about.

The WWII Parachute Wedding Dress
Major Claude Hensinger jumped out of a B-29 bomber during World War II when the engine caught fire. He was saved by his parachute. Later, he requested that his fiancée Ruth make him a gown out of the same parachute. The dress is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

The Inspiring Journey of Francis Tsai, Marvel Comics artist diagnosed with ALS
Francis Tsai, an American illustrator and conceptual artist who worked for Marvel Comics, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. After he lost the ability to move his hands and arms, he started painting digitally on his cellphone with his right big toe. After he could not move his feet anymore, he began using eye-gaze technology to keep drawing.

Tourist in China left hanging from 330-ft-high glass bridge as wind blows away its panels
The popular tourist attraction glass-bottomed bridge was shattered after a strong wind blew away its panels. A Chinese tourist was left stranded in strong winds 330 feet up on a glass-bottomed bridge.

Australian man dies, comes back to life, and wins the lottery twice
Bill Morgan, an Australian, is a man who has beat the odds. He escaped death by surviving a horrific automobile accident and heart attack before collapsing into a coma and going on to win the lotto twice. He went from losing virtually everything to winning far more than he could have imagined.

'Super obedient' lookout parrot trained by Brazilian drug dealers is seized by police
In 2019, police in Brazil seized a 'super obedient' lookout parrot trained by drug dealers. According to reports, the bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations by shouting: "Mum, the police!" As soon as the police got close, he started shouting.

Whang-od Oggay, The legendary tattoo artist from the Philippines
This is Whang-od Oggay, a 106-year-old tattoo artist from the Philippines. She is often described as the last and oldest Kalinga tattoo artist, and has been performing the traditional art of hand-tapped tattoos since the age of 15

From Ocean Trash to Trendy Kicks: Adidas Sells 1 Million Eco-Friendly Shoes Made from Plastic Bottles
Adidas has sold over 1 million eco-friendly shoes made from ocean plastic. Each pair reuses the equivalent of 11 plastic bottles

Croatian teenager wakes up from coma speaking fluent in German In 2010
In 2010, a Croatian teenager awoke from a coma to discover she could no longer speak Croatian but was fluent in German, a language she had just recently begun studying at school in the United Kingdom. reports in the press

Self-taught William Kamkwamba built a windmill for his town
A Malawian teenager who taught himself how to build a windmill out of junk and bring power to his village. He then went on to build a second, larger windmill to power irrigation pumps. He did this all from books he read in the library.

LEGO Braille Bricks: Revolutionizing Braille Learning Through Play and Inclusion
go Braille Bricks were launched in 2020 to help visually impaired children learn Braille through play. Each brick features the Braille alphabet and is fully compatible with standard Lego sets, allowing sighted peers to join in, fostering inclusivity and collaboration in learning environments.

Aitzaz Hasan, Pakistani school boy who sacrificed his life from suicide bomber
Aitzaz Hasan, a 15 year old Pakistani school boy, sacrificed his life while preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school of 2000 students. His father said "My son made his mother cry but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children."

Smart guy brings life-sized cutout of his late mother to his graduation
Even though that his mother passed away in 2016, a young man had a clever idea to make a life-size cutout of her and bring it to the event so that she could attend his graduation ceremony.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Hospital Security Blocked NICU Access for Father of Premature Twins
A father was denied access to see his premature twins in the NICU when Beyonce and Jay-Z had their daughter at the same time.

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer
In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

Before "The Rock," There Was "Rocky Maivia"
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first WWF persona was Rocky Maivia, a face (good guy). The audience rejected him due to his cheesy character, with chants of “Die, Rocky, die!”. After this, he became a heel (villain), referring to himself in the third person as “The Rock” and insulting the audience.

Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year
A Chinese man purchased a First Class Ticket, which included admission to a VIP Lounge with free food. Over the course of a year, he rescheduled over 300 times in order to receive over 300 free dinners. When questioned, it was discovered that he is rescheduling his reservation to another date after eating. He eventually cancelled the ticket and got a full refund.

Drive-Thru Weddings in Las Vegas: The Ultimate Fast, Fun, and Legal Way to Say “I Do”
Inspired by fast food convenience, Las Vegas offers drive-thru weddings where couples can legally marry in under 5 minutes—without leaving their car. Some chapels even offer curbside Elvis impersonators and 24/7 ceremonies, complete with “to-go” marriage licenses.

The actions of a 7-year-old girl protected her mother from bullets
A 7-year-old girl jumped in front of her mother to save her from a man who was attempting to kill her in 2007. She was shot six times and survived, as well as saving her mother.