The pilots of a Chinese passenger jet made an emergency landing after a cockpit windscreen was ripped out in mid-air.
Two crew members on the Sichuan Airlines flight were injured when the plane’s window blew out as it cruised at 32,000ft with 119 passengers on board.
"There was no warning sign. Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window," Liu Chuanjian told Chengdu Economic Daily after making an emergency landing.
The jet’s flight control unit was badly damaged by the resulting sudden decompression. Some parts of the system were reportedly sucked out of the gaping window, forcing the pilots to fly manually before landing the airliner safely at the south-west Chinese city of Chengdu.
Pictures published on Chinese social media showed the plane missing one of its cockpit windows and damage to its cockpit controls.
One pilot, thought to have been the flight’s first officer, suffered scratches and a sprained waist during Monday morning’s drama.
A cabin crew member was also injured in the descent, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The flight, Sichuan Airlines 3U8633, had left the central Chinese city of Chongqing for the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. There were 128 people, nine of whom were crew, on board.
《川航3U8633紧急迫降事件》
中国一架民航客机驾驶舱挡风玻璃高空破裂，两位驾驶员成功实施紧急迫降。
飞机飞至3.2万英尺（约合9754米）的高空时，驾驶舱挡风玻璃突然破裂，导致两名机组人员受伤。机上共有119名乘客。
“没有任何征兆，轰的一声，挡风玻璃突然爆裂，”该趟航班机长刘传建在备降后接受《成都商报》记者采访时称，“紧接着我发现，副驾（身体）已经飞出去一半，半边身体在窗外悬挂。”
由于突然失压，飞机的飞行控制器遭到严重毁坏。据报道，部分飞行控制零件被吸出窗外，驾驶员不得不手动操纵，最终安全地把飞机降落在成都机场。
国内社交媒体上发布的照片显示，飞机驾驶舱前的一块挡风玻璃破碎，控制台七零八落。
在周一早晨发生的这次生死备降中，一名副驾驶员皮肤擦伤，腰部扭伤。
中国民航总局称，还有一位乘务员在这起事件中受伤。
川航这架由重庆飞往拉萨的3U8633航班共搭乘有128人，其中包括9名机组人员。
【编者注】2018年05月14日上午，川航3U8633航班完成了最惊险的紧急着陆。飞行途中，飞机副驾驶一侧驾驶舱玻璃破碎，副驾驶员半个身子被“吸”了出去，大量机载自动化设备失灵，驾驶舱温度降至零下几十度。机长临危不乱，正确操纵飞机安全降落，挽救了上百人的生命。