On a sunny morning on June 10th, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 took off from Birmingham Airport, heading to the beautiful Spanish resort city of Malaga. The aircraft, a BAC-111 jet, was almost 20 years old and was soon to be replaced by newer models. This particular flight was not full, as it was just the start of the British summer holiday season.
Shortly after takeoff, as the plane climbed to 17,000 feet, a shocking event occurred. One of the cockpit windows suddenly blew out with a loud bang. Captain Tim Lancaster was pulled from his seat by the sudden decompression, but fortunately, his legs got caught on the controls. Quick-thinking flight attendant Nigel Ogden grabbed him, preventing him from being completely sucked out of the plane.
Inside the cockpit, things were chaotic. The door had blown off its hinges and was jammed against the throttle, causing the plane to speed up and descend rapidly. First Officer Alastair Atchison took control, struggling to stabilize the aircraft. Meanwhile, the cabin crew worked hard to calm the passengers and prepare them for an emergency landing.
Despite the chaos, First Officer Atchison managed to bring the plane to a safer altitude where passengers could breathe without oxygen masks. He then communicated with air traffic control and secured an emergency landing at Southampton Airport. The plane landed safely at 8:55 a.m., and Captain Lancaster was pulled back inside the cockpit.
Amazingly, there were only two casualties. Captain Lancaster survived but suffered frostbite and several injuries. Nigel Ogden, the brave flight attendant, dislocated his shoulder and also suffered frostbite. An investigation revealed that the cockpit window had been replaced just days before the flight, but the bolts used were the wrong size, leading to the accident.
First Officer Atchison and the cabin crew were awarded for their bravery and quick thinking. Captain Lancaster took five months to recover from his injuries before returning to work. The aircraft was repaired and continued to fly until it was eventually sold for scrap in 2001.
This incident highlighted the importance of thorough maintenance checks and quality control in aviation. It also showcased the incredible courage and professionalism of the flight crew, who managed to avert a potential disaster and save the lives of everyone on board.
Research the roles and responsibilities of different crew members on a flight. Create a presentation to share with the class, explaining how each crew member contributed to the safety of British Airways Flight 5390. Highlight the actions of Captain Tim Lancaster, First Officer Alastair Atchison, and flight attendant Nigel Ogden.
Participate in a class debate about the importance of safety protocols in aviation. Discuss how the incident with Flight 5390 emphasizes the need for strict maintenance checks and quality control. Consider both the technical and human factors involved in ensuring flight safety.
Write a creative story from the perspective of a passenger on Flight 5390. Describe the events of the flight, focusing on the emotions and thoughts experienced during the incident. Use vivid imagery to convey the tension and relief felt throughout the ordeal.
Design a simple model of an airplane cockpit using materials like cardboard and plastic. Pay special attention to the placement and function of windows and controls. Present your model to the class, explaining how your design addresses potential safety issues highlighted by the Flight 5390 incident.
Pair up with a classmate to conduct a mock interview. One of you will play the role of a journalist, and the other will be a member of the flight crew from Flight 5390. Prepare questions and answers that explore the crew member’s experiences, challenges, and the lessons learned from the incident.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
This video has been made possible by NordVPN. Have you ever logged into a public network at a coffee shop? Did you feel nervous logging into your bank account on a home network? With NordVPN, you can finally put your mind at ease. NordVPN provides a secure connection for your devices when you access the internet, and your information stays private. One of the main benefits of a VPN is that your data is encrypted before it’s transmitted. A VPN also hides your IP address, which protects your identity while you’re online. NordVPN provides safe access from everywhere. Don’t miss out on your favorite content even while traveling. Use NordVPN to stay at home virtually with just a simple click. Open the map, pick a location, and you’ll be connected in seconds. It’s that easy! Go to nordvpn.com/simplehistory to get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
In the early 1990s, British Airways was the world’s leading airline in terms of fleet size and passenger numbers. One of its most popular destinations from the UK at this time was Spain, due to the number of holiday hotels and resorts situated on Spain’s beautiful Mediterranean coastline and its Balearic Islands.
On the morning of June 10th, 1990, at 8:20 a.m., flight 5390 made a routine departure from Birmingham Airport, en route to the sunny Spanish resort of Malaga. This three-hour flight used a British-built BAC-111 series 528FL jet airliner, which was an updated model of a 1960s design and could hold considerably more passengers than the original version. The particular aircraft being used on this flight was called the County of South Glamorgan and had been assigned the callsign Speedbird 5390. This aircraft was nearly 20 years old and was due to be phased out of British Airways service to be replaced by more cost-effective and quieter designs from Airbus and Boeing.
The BAC-111 had a good safety record, with its most serious accident up until 1990 having occurred in 1969 when a Philippines Airlines flight clipped a mango tree while approaching to land, causing it to crash and killing 45 of the 47 passengers onboard.
After flight 5390 took off, it went into a steady climb towards its cruising altitude of 23,000 feet. This variant of the BAC-111 could carry a total of 119 passengers in a three-two seat configuration, and on this flight, the aircraft was only two-thirds full as it was just the beginning of the British summer holiday season. Just before 8:30 a.m., both seatbelt and no smoking signs were turned off, and the pilots unbuckled their safety harnesses. The passengers then watched a short presentation performed by the aircrew, which included a demonstration on how to use the life jackets and where the emergency exits were located.
As flight 5390 crossed the English countryside, climbing just above 17,000 feet, suddenly and without warning, there was a loud bang as one of the flight deck windscreens unexpectedly blew out. The pilot, Captain Tim Lancaster, was forcibly dragged from his seat as the aircraft’s flight deck abruptly decompressed. By some miracle, his legs got caught on the aircraft controls, allowing a quick-thinking air steward named Nigel Ogden to grab the captain’s waist and stop him from being dragged out of the aircraft completely.
The time was 8:33 a.m., and flight 5390 had only been airborne for 13 minutes. Disaster ensued as the remaining flight deck windows fogged up with condensation, and the flight deck door buckled and flew off its hinges, becoming wedged against the throttle control, causing the plane to speed up while entering a rapid descent in one of the busiest commercial flight paths in the world. Amidst the chaos, air stewards hurriedly attempted to reassure passengers and instructed them to adopt the emergency landing position.
The co-pilot, First Officer Alastair Atchison, fought with the controls to try to stop the plane from plummeting and managed to reach an altitude where the air was breathable, as the aircraft carried no oxygen masks for the passengers. With help from his flight crew, including lead flight attendant John Heward, Atchison managed to bring the aircraft under control at around 11,000 feet, where the cabin pressure stabilized, and he engaged the autopilot. He then attempted to make a distress call to air traffic control, which proved difficult due to excessive wind noise.
Captain Lancaster’s body had slid to the side of the cockpit, and he was sticking out of the window from the waist up, already starting to suffer from frostbite as the plane remained roughly two miles up in the air, where the temperature was about -20 degrees Celsius. Another member of the cabin crew, Simon Rogers, rushed into the flight deck to help Ogden and Heward secure the captain. Meanwhile, stewardess Sue Prince had her hands full with distressed passengers.
At this point, it was thought that the captain could be dead, and there was a real fear that if his body got sucked out, it might collide with one of the two aft-mounted engines over the plane’s left wing, potentially resulting in the loss of the plane. Having finally managed to communicate effectively with ground control, First Officer Atchison secured an emergency landing slot at Southampton Airport and was able to land the plane safely at around 8:55 a.m. It was only then that Captain Lancaster was able to be dragged back into the flight deck.
Amazingly, there were only two casualties on board. Captain Lancaster, who had survived, was nevertheless badly injured and had to be hospitalized with frostbite, severe bruising, shock, and fractures to his right arm, left thumb, and right wrist. The only other casualty was crew member Ogden, who dislocated his shoulder and also suffered some frostbite and endured a minor injury to one of his eyes.
An in-depth investigation concluded that the windscreen panel that had blown out had been replaced in a hurry one to two days before the flight departed as part of regularly scheduled maintenance. The bolts used to secure the windshield to the aircraft’s upper nose were found to have been of slightly incorrect size and thus vulnerable to dislodgement. The event highlighted that British Airways’ maintenance policies lacked proper quality control checks after any repairs or replacement of parts were carried out.
First Officer Atchison and cabin crew members Susan Prince and Nigel Ogden were all awarded the Queen’s Accommodation for valuable service in the air. It took Captain Lancaster five months to recover from his injuries before he could return to work. He eventually retired from the airline industry in 2008. As for the County of South Glamorgan, it was quickly repaired and returned to service. It was later sold to a Romanian airline, and when that airline went bankrupt in 2001, the aircraft was sold for scrap. The last of the 244 BAC-111s built was finally retired in 2019.
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Flight – The act of traveling through the air, especially by an aircraft. – The Wright brothers are credited with inventing and building the first successful airplane, which made its first flight in 1903.
Cockpit – The area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the plane. – During World War II, pilots had to navigate their planes from the cramped space of the cockpit.
Incident – An event or occurrence, often with negative implications. – The incident of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 marked the end of the airship era.
Altitude – The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level. – Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, has an altitude of 29,032 feet.
Emergency – A serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. – The emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009 is known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
Injuries – Harm or damage that is done or sustained by a person. – The passengers suffered minor injuries during the turbulence, but everyone was relieved when the plane landed safely.
Maintenance – The process of preserving a condition or situation or the state of being preserved. – Regular maintenance of the aircraft is crucial to ensure the safety of all flights.
Control – The power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events. – The pilot maintained control of the aircraft despite the severe weather conditions.
Bravery – Courageous behavior or character. – The bravery of the firefighters during the 9/11 attacks is remembered and honored every year.
Disaster – A sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life. – The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was one of the worst nuclear accidents in history.
