Strange But True: Keep Your Seatbelt Fastened At All Times

June 10, 1990 was just a sunny day in England for Captain Timothy Lancaster, age 42, a pilot with 11,050 total hours, 1,075 of which were on a BAC 1-11 aircraft. Captain Lancaster met up with his co-pilot for the flight, Alastair Aitchison, Age 39, with 7,500 flying hours, including 1,100 on the BAC 1-11 aircraft. Together they then reviewed the weather and aircraft condition in preparation for their upcoming scheduled flight. This was a scheduled flight from the Birmingham Airport in the United Kingdom to the Málaga Airport in Spain.

A photograph of the Malaga Airport in Spain AGP - LEMG AN1863602.

The BAC 1-11 528FL was a 1960s twinjet airliner, one of the earliest of British jetliners, and a rather noisy aircraft. This short-haul airliner was manufactured by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), and was first introduced in 1965. The aircraft Lancaster and Aitchinson would fly on this day had the aircraft registration number G-BJRT.

A photograph of the accident aircraft, G-BJRT BAC1-11-528FL British Airways Birmingham taken on July 15, 1989.

BAC 1-11-528FL Specifications:

• Crew: 2 pilots;
• Wingspan: 88 feet 6 inches;
• Height: 24 feet 6 inches;
• Length: 107 feet 0 inches;
• Empty weight: 54,582 lbs;
• Max takeoff weight: 104,500 lbs;
• Max cruise speed: 540 mph;
• Range: 1,425 miles.
• Poweerplants: 2 X Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 506 turbofans. 

On this flight the aircraft was loaded with 2 pilots,  4 cabin crew members, and 81 passengers. For this leg of the flight co-pilot Aitchison would be the pilot flying, and he made a normal takeoff at 8:20 local time, then transferred control of the aircraft to Captain Lancaster as the aircraft continued its climbout. Both pilots then released their shoulder harnesses, and Lancaster also loosened up his lap seat belt. By 8:33 the aircraft was just climbing through 17,300 feet over Didcot, a small town in South Oxfordshire.

A map showing the location of Didcot, South Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Just then, flight attendant Nigel Ogden, was making his way into the cockpit when there was a loud bang as the aircraft experienced an explosive decompression. The left windscreen then departed the aircraft. The aircraft's cabin filled with condensation, and Captain Lancaster flew out of his seat and was sent headfirst out of the flight deck and onto the aircraft fuselage!

Captain Lancaster out the window with Heward and Rogers holding on for dear life.

As Lancaster departed the aircraft through the windscreen, his knees caught the flight controls, leaving his torso out the window and in the extreme cold and wind. This caused the autopilot to disengage, which in turn caused the aircraft to rapidly descend, and the flight deck door to be sucked into the control console, all of which blocked the throttle controls. 

The aircraft began accelerating, checklists and debris filled the air in the cockpit, and Ogden grabbed Lancaster's belt just as he was pulled out of the cockpit, meanwhile, other cabin crew members secured loose objects, reassured passengers, and instructed them to take the brace position, in anticipation of an emergency landing. The cabin crew were then able to free Lancaster's ankles from the aircraft controls, all the while still able to hang onto Lancaster's legs.

The aircraft did not have oxygen for everyone aboard, so Aitchison took control of the aircraft, began a rapid emergency descent to a lower flight level, where there would be sufficient air pressure and oxygen. He then re-engaged the autopilot, radioed out a mayday call, but with the wind noise could not hear the ATC (Air Traffic Control) response. 

Meanwhile, Ogden was becoming exhausted holding on to Lancaster. Chief Steward John Heward and flight attendant Simon Rogers replaced Ogden and held on to the captain. By this time, Captain Lancaster had been pulled further outside aircraft, and his head was now banging onto the fuselage. The crew thought the captain was dead, but Aitchison told them to hang on to Lancaster because Aitchinson feared letting go of Lancaster might cause his body to strike the  wing, the engine, or the horizontal stabilizer, potentially causing more damage to the aircraft.

The cabin crew assumed that Lancaster was already dead. "His eyes were wide open," Ogden recalled. "I'll never forget that sight." Lancaster was actually comatose, and his systems began to shut down due to the trauma of his exit of the cockpit, along with the excrutiating cold of the high-speed slipstream. Shortly thereafter, Aitchison was able to communicate with ATC, and was advised to proceed to the Southampton, England, airport.

The Southampton, England, airport.

By the time the aircraft landed at the Southampton airport, Lancaster was being held only by his ankles. The crew had assumed that Lancaster was dead, but much to everyone's surprise Lancastor survived with frostbite, bruising, shock, and fractures to his right arm, left thumb, and right wrist. Incredibly, there were no other injuries. His first words after being pulled back into the cockpit were "I want to eat."

Capt Lancaster Co-Pilot Aitchison Cabin Crew Ogden and Rogers.

The Investigation

A search by police located the blown-off windscreen near Cholsey, England, along with many of the 90 screws which were meant to secure the windscreen in place.

A map showing the location of Cholsey, United Kingdom.

Investigators determined that when the windscreen was installed some 27 hours before this flight, that 84 of the screws used were 0.026 inches (0.66 mm), too small in diameter according to the British Standards Circular A211-8C requiring larger #8-32 screws. The remaining 6 screw were of the correct diameter, but they were 0.1 (2.5 mm) too short. 

A comparison of screws used in the G-BJRT windscreen (left to right: correct size, new; small size, new; correct size, old).

Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that the shift maintenance manager responsible for installing the incorrect screws had failed to follow British Airways policies. They recommended that staff with prescription glasses should be required to wear them when undertaking maintenance tasks. They also faulted the policies themselves, which should have required testing or verification by another individual for this critical task. Finally, they found the local Birmingham Airport management responsible for not directly monitoring the shift maintenance manager's working practices.

Awards

First Officer Alastair Aitchison and cabin crew members Susan Gibbins and Nigel Ogden were awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. Aitchison also was awarded the Polaris Award in 1992 for outstanding airmanship.

Aftermath:

Five months after his terrifying experience on June 10th, 1990, Captain Lancaster returned to the air. In 2003, Lancaster left British Airways and flew for WasyJet until lhis retirement in 2008. Aitchison left British Airways shortly after the accident, joining Channel Express untill he made his last commercial flight on a Boeing 737-33A on his 65th birthday, June 28, 2015. Sadly, even thought Ogden returned to work, he subsequently suffered from PTSD and retired in 2001 on the grounds of ill health.

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this blog, sign up to receive your own weekly blog post here: Subscribe here!

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!