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.
China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile
One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing
A man who has been suffering from headaches for nearly six months discovers chopsticks lodged in his brain
When it was discovered that a Vietnamese man with headaches and vision problems had chopsticks lodged in his brain, the doctors were almost as surprised as the man himself.
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.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building and amazingly survived
Elvita Adams once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the empire state building. She Jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back to 85th floor by a strong gust of wind.
Woman had no idea she had an identical twin until she saw a 'lookalike' on YouTube
When Anais Bordier saw a YouTube video of Samantha Futerman, who looked exactly like her, she messaged her on Facebook and discovered they were both adopted and born on the same day. They were identical twins who had been separated at birth and had found each other by chance and on social media.
Timothy Ray Brown, who inspired millions of HIV-positive people, died of leukemia
Timothy Ray Brown, also known as "The Berlin Patient," was the first person to be HIV-free. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006 and had a bone marrow transplant in 2007 as part of his treatment. The transplant helped him overcome the otherwise incurable disease thanks to the rare, HIV-resistant donor.
Toddler Calls 911 Accidentally and Saves Dad's Life
A father from Florida collapsed on the floor during a medical episode. Fortunately, his toddler son dialed 911 by accident and saved his life. An officer from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrived quickly and administered first aid before transporting him to a nearby hospital.
Couple reunites after 60 years apart
A Russian couple were reunited after being separated for 60 years. They were married for 3 days when the husband left to join the Red Army. They were unable to find each other until 60 years later when they randomly visited their hometown on the same day.
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.
The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.
A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)
A train has been constructed through an apartment complex in Chongqing, China. The 19-story residential structure is not only passed by the light rail passenger train, but it also serves as a transit stop. Apartment residents can simply get a ride from the sixth to eighth levels.
'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.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim
A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.
The beauty and uniqueness of Fukang Meteorite
This Fukang meteorite is around 4.5 billion years old and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. It was discovered in China in 2014 and is assumed to have formed when our solar system initially formed.
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.
How 'Brad's Drink' Became Pepsi-Cola
Pepsi was first introduced as “Brad’s Drink” in New Bern, North Carolina, United States, in 1893 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. It was renamed Pepsi Cola in 1898, named after the digestive enzyme pepsin and kola nuts used in the recipe.
Lafayette pizza delivery driver who saved 5 from burning house
Nicholas Bostic a 25-year-old pizza delivery man from Lafayette, Indiana, ran into a burning house to rescue four children, who told him there is one more inside. He ran back inside, he found the six-year-old girl, jumped out of a window, carried her to a cop who captured the moment on his bodycam.
Frank Lentini, The Three-Legged Sideshow Performer
Francesco Lentini was a man with three legs, four feet, sixteen toes, and two sets of functional male genitals. He worked for the circus and lived to be 78 years old.
Baby Lynlee 'born twice' after life-saving tumour surgery
Baby Lynlee was "born twice." First, surgeons brought her out of the womb to remove a spinal tumor. After the successful surgery, she was placed back and born again as a healthy baby girl.
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.
Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park
Gordon Hartman was heartbroken when his special needs daughter, Morgan, was rejected by a group of children playing by the hotel poolside. He then set out to build a place where all children can play together. This led to the development of the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park, Morgan’s Wonderland
The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air
Roberts Timm and Jim Cook, two pilots, flew an aircraft for more than two months without landing in 1958. Matching the speed of a truck moving down the road to refuel. A mattress for sleeping, a small steel sink for personal hygiene, the removal of most interior fittings to reduce weight, and a basic autopilot were among the improvements.
Before Hollywood, Christopher Walken Was a Teenage Lion Tamer with a Lioness Named Sheba
Before acting, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus at age 16. He performed with a lioness named Sheba and described the job as surprisingly calm—just another day before Hollywood stardom.
