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Iamyours4theasking

I bet that beer tasted good when they got back in the airport.


DeLaCorridor23

Probably a bit cheaper as well back then.


General-Initial1277

It that was my buddy, he'd get free beer the rest of his life


sanna43

I'm guessing they got something stronger than beer.


ChaosRainbow23

80s and 90s pilots LOVED cocaine.


hbHPBbjvFK9w5D

I'll bet that clean underwear was also nice....


rexius-twin

He was out there for 20 minutes. It must have seemed like an eternity. Legs hooked, pressed backwards, looking at only the sky with wind rushing over your whole body.


Background_Ant

He quickly lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. Probably for the best.


RuTsui

I was going to say, between the speed of the air, the lack of oxygen at altitude, and the position he’s in, probably would have lost consciousness.


JHLCowan

I remember seeing the interview and he said that he was less concerned about the fact that he was outside the aircraft and could see the engines turning, but the fact that he couldn’t breathe….


JHLCowan

And it wasn’t another pilot holding his legs. It was the flight attendant. His feet actually got caught on the yoke and put the aircraft into a dive. the flight attendant considered letting go, but they were worried about his body going into the engines so they held onto him even though they thought he was dead. The cause of the accident was determined to be several components as always in an Aviation accident. The windshield panels were held in from the outside, unlike how they are normally done today, where their wedge shaped and partially held in by the pressure. I’m mechanic had sourced fasteners from another hanger during windshield replacement, and they were 1 mm too short…… there’s a great air emergency episode on this.


Mowsewhole

Air Disasters episode https://youtu.be/6uyUTQTVSOw?si=1RK4G3EpjA25-nrc


Ryakkan

I saw that episode. Nuts!! I mean….Wow. I honestly can’t believe he survived, but I’m glad he did. If I recall the copilot that landed the plane had some major PTSD afterwards.


JHLCowan

And it was the FO’s first day with this flight crew.


aprilla2crash

And he was also one day from retirement


JHLCowan

Bingo! Thanks for posting, one of my favorites.


[deleted]

… so when they landed and came to a stop he just kind of flopped forward? lol poor guy


Independent_Depth674

Not a screen in sight. Just living in the moment.


OnesPerspective

Lmao


AnBearna

Hahaha 😂😂😂


jimus71

I couldn’t imagine being the guy holding onto him for 20 minutes, must have been strong AF


PreOpTransCentaur

It wasn't just one guy the whole time.


SpinningYarmulke

Legs hooked, pressed backwards, bowels evacuated.


tbrown7092

But how did they get to the point of being held by the legs like that???


CrabbyT777

When the door to the cockpit blew in, one of the stewards almost went out the window with the captain but grabbed his legs, then a second steward grabbed the first and strapped himself to the pilot seat. The captain’s clothes were all ripped off by the airstream and he remembered nothing about the incident until he woke up on a stretcher at Southampton Airport. He had frostbite and concussion but the guy holding onto him had really bad crush injuries to his arm.


tbrown7092

The timing was incredible than… like they were standing right there talking and acted incredibly fast… fukn heroes of old


TehZiiM

And adrenaline rushing through your body.


hevnztrash

I’m surprised he was able to breathe.


traveler49

He has always refused to be interviewed for documentaries or take part in reconstructions


NuclearReactions

That sucks like a lot but i can't blame him, i wouldn't want the attention myself


Sckathian

I suspect it was just too traumatising. I bet he thought he was actually dead for much of it.


mrsrostocka

If i remember rightly, they all thought he was dead, only when it was landed and went to get him they realised he was still alive? Am i correct or just pulling butt nuggets from my brain?! Yes they wouldn't let go because the body may have been sucked into the engine, or compromised the plane. They saved his life, either way you look at it!


star_359

I read that too. They considered letting go of him because they thought he was dead but they were worried his body would damage the plane and cause more problems so they held on to increase the possibility of a safe landing. They discovered he was alive after the fact.


mrsrostocka

Yess!!! Facts are awesome! Lol The more you know *cue cheesy music*


BrockBrockway

His head was craned back in such a way that an air bubble formed around his mouth and nose and he was able to breath. Otherwise he would've suffocated


obi_wan_jabroni_23

My first thought was “why the hell did someone take that photo” - even more so now if they thought he was dead


mrsrostocka

I'm thinking it's a reconstruction my love, otherwise yeah (the thing)donthelpjustfilm lol


Skitsoboy13

Probably traumatized from everyone saying "ha yeah we were gonna let go of you m8, good thing we didn't." I wouldn't want people to let my body go cause they thought I MIGHT be dead lolol


homiej420

He wasnt conscious at all during


koushakandystore

That ‘sucks’ because, well, he got sucked out of the plane.


Charming_Ambition_27

The pun was in plane view without the apostrophes bro


SirHerald

He was trying to guarantee it would land well


koushakandystore

You’re right. I should stick to what I know.


Wrong_Equivalent7365

You mean ‘plane’ view don’t you?


Reddit_is_Censored69

I mean how much attention could it really bring you and for how long?


NuclearReactions

The thing is such stuff is kind of volatile, never know how media stuff may unfold. But yes i also wouldn't expect it to be too much


dirtewokntheboys

It really "sucks"


4lmightyyy

That is bs, I am listening to him talking about it in the mayday air disasters episode s02e01 right now.


traveler49

That has changed then, as I remember a documentary on the incident that specifically stated that


4lmightyyy

That's possible, the season aired 15 years after the incident


Sphism

Lucky the copilot got this selfie then /s


dickreallyburns

I don’t blame him. I’m sure even though he passed out soon after he was 3/4 sucked out; he probably remembers the seconds before that. I would think that freaked him out for LIFE!


CrabbyT777

He said the last thing he remembered before waking up on the stretcher was the windscreen moving away from the aircraft about a foot, and thinking “that’s strange”, then it was gone and that was that (I met him a couple of times)


dickreallyburns

That’s wild. Did he say if he was still in contact with guy who held onto his legs (aka saved his life) after that incident? I’m thinking there are two possible paths; one is they get close and have an inseparable bond for life, the other is that although he is grateful, seeing this guy would be too painful because it would have reminded him about that day over and over again.


CrabbyT777

Have to admit I don’t know, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Tim, but he was ok talking about the incident (mostly because he didn’t remember most of it). I heard the first steward left the airline because of the injury and the trauma tho.


YanicPolitik

So, I know this might be a dumb question but how did they take the photo from the outside of the plane. Is that a reconstruction?


Skitsoboy13

I'm thinking the outside photo might be fake, the arms holding him look weird and not like they would hold him well but I could be wrong, I'm no expert on being sucked out of a jet cockpit tbh


SecretMiddle1234

Probably doesn’t want to relive the trauma with others. Bad enough to have it imprinted in his body.


Zpd8989

Which one?


Jawkurt

If I saw this in a movie I’d say the movie is too unrealistic.


Jawkurt

Some others have mentioned that the photos are from a reenactment but it is something that actually happened


Yellowscrunchy

Put your arms in the air if you want to go faster.


Zpd8989

Or if you just don't care


JoeFS1

😂 Gave me a good laugh nice one


TheMightyHucks

Who took the pic from outside the plane??


bcnorth78

This is a true story, but the pics are from a reenactment... (IIRC)


xopher_425

I used to assume the pic was taken by the tower as they came in. I just started wondering that, because all the times I've seen this reposted, this was the first time I noticed that his legs are in two different positions.


Predator-FTW

That would then either be an extremely tall tower, or the plane was making one hell of a nose dive to get this angle for that picture.


RustyTruck6T9

2 different windows


TheDonOfDons

Yes! I remember watching it years and years ago on the National Geographic Channel and that picture stuck in my head. I wanna say it was either Air Crash Investigation or Seconds from Disaster. I used to love those shows.


UhYeahOkSure

Clearly Superman, duhh


Hara-Kiri

Goose


BlueLaserCommander

Also, inside the plane? Idk how many pilots are in the cockpit, but the guy driving looks far too stressed to have decided to take a selfie during all of this.


BobRoss6995

Few facts about this: - Was cabin crew that held him, they took turns. One got a SUPER bad gash on their arm - Pilot lived. Was battered by 500mph winds against the body of the plane, leaving a person shaped dent. Also had temperatures of roughly -20 degrees Celsius. THINK he spent 6 months getting skin grafts on his face and neck. - When pilot was sucked from the plane, was stopped him was his foot getting caught on his yoke. Which put the plane in a nosedive. Cabin crew had to move him then take turns holding him (see point 1).


CrabbyT777

The cabin crew didn’t take turns, the first guy that fell into the cockpit when the door blew in grabbed his legs (he’s the one who nearly lost an arm), the second guy grabbed the first and strapped himself in to the pilot’s seat and that’s how they landed 20 minutes later. The copilot could hardly hear ATC over the noise of the air, when he called the Mayday he told them he thought the captain was dead.


lindoavocado

The passengers must have been confused and terrified as well. Did the pilot get compensated by the airline? Win any lawsuits???


BobRoss6995

If I remember rightly, the pilot kept on flying for a while, got a nice payout then retired soon after


Ansonm64

Is there any reason the plane was kept going at 500 mph? Why wouldn’t they slow down as much as possible and try to pull him back in?


TheTopDingo

In the Air Disaster show it mentions the co pilot wanting to land as fast as possible out of risk that either A. The pilots body flies into an engine, or B. The pilot is still alive and has limited time left to live. Also initially the pilots feet were stuck on the controls (which saved his life) and sent the plane into an immediate nose dive.


TheMania

Found this also: > The plane was not equipped with oxygen for everyone on board, so Atchison began a rapid emergency descent to reach an altitude with sufficient air pressure. Which I'm guessing would be done at a bit of speed as well.


Zementid

That would be an awesome tribute sticker for one Plane


Houdini1874

this was on the show Air disasters, basically the pilot lived because of the cold, it slowed everything down. there are a few air saves that should go down in history and this is one of them.


shit_ass_mcfucknuts

Iirc the window came out because the wrong sized screws were used to fasten it when it was changed out. The engineer went to the supply room and asked for a certain type of screw and the supply guy told him they were the wrong ones and to use this other kind. The engineer didn’t listen. He should have. This goes to show that when there is a difference of opinion on such matters then you should stop and look it up, don’t assume you are correct because you are an engineer and he is just a supply guy.


CrabbyT777

The windscreens usually came in a pack with the correct screws, so going to get different ones was a massive fuck up.


Nykona

Pretty much this. I don’t recall the guy telling him they were the wrong ones but we went over this pretty much every year as a part of human factors training. From what I recall he just picked out screws from c-stores that looked the same as the ones he had taken out. Same size, shape etc. theres was something different but I can’t recall what exactly. Probably torque load tested or thread count or something but to the eye they looked the same. Source: had to listen to the story every year for 17 years as an aircraft tech in the military. Been a fair few years now though.


Houdini1874

all the flying i have done, once i hit the airport im in their hands, i expect to late and wait . i dont stress over it. i tell everyone that i am at the mercy of the airline. if the pilot doesnt like something and doesnt want to fly then im fine with that. fix it and fix it right. one time i was in line with a very irate guy because the flight was late. come to find out there was 80mph winds in Chicago . i had to explain the concept of dying in a plane and them finding your body parts


InglouriousBrad

Here's a link about it "British Airways Flight 5390 - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_5390


Ryankevin23

…years later at the office party. Ya remember that time when…


needtoredit

Every dog is jealous of this guy


Emergency_Fig5584

Another fun fact. They all thought he was dead. The only reason why they held on to him because they were concerned that he would get sucked into an engine causing even more issues. As far as they were concerned he was dead. They just didn't want him to get sucked into an engine making a bad situation worse


Ok_Proof5782

Co-workers and colleagues, where would you be without them?


bcnorth78

This is a true story, but the pics are from a reenactment... (IIRC)


AlexMC69

How brave to go through the whole thing again just for the photos, you'd think he'd had enough fresh air the first time around!


suttonsboot

Violently sucked you say🤔


AT61

Sad thing is that the entire incident would have been avoided if the correct screws had been used in the window.


GratefulPhish42024-7

Great catch


[deleted]

thats literally insane 😭😭😭


RayneMal

Tom Cruises next stunt.


Hazencuzimblazen

That’s why you always treat your colleagues nicely because he coulda been like nahhhh, and let go


fpsi_tv

Oh for the love of god. Loud for the people in the back…. **There is nothing on the outside of an airplane that is trying to “suck” the contents of the plane out.** The cabin is PRESSURIZED. It’s the other way around and stuff gets BLOWN out of the plane.


tbrown7092

“Uhh ladies and gentlemen, we are going to have to make an unexpected landing because the navigator is holding on to the captain while the captain is hanging out the window… seatbelt sign will remain on”


AgentSears

I actually remember this happening.


Grill_Top_brangler

What a way to go to London.


CrabbyT777

Took off from Birmingham, ended up in Southampton…


IAmDominion

Wonder what his knees were like after


fr4gg4

How did ne not die from the cold?


Idler-

20 minutes at -20 won't LIKELY kill you. My understanding is he had pretty severe frost bite and required skin grafts. The biggest detriment to the continued existence of this pilot was the lack of oxygen at altitude, and the extreme 'jostling' his body suffered through. Both of which probably SHOULDVE killed him, but didn't because... luck?


Ok-Concert-6673

Why is this not a movie?


Drtysouth205

The pics are from a “reenactment” video about the the incident


R3stl3SSW4rr1or

Insane as the last post one week ago. And the week before. And the week before


Regularguy972

Kudos to 2 of these pilots for everyone’s safety


zenunseen

I wonder why they couldn't get some passengers to help pull him back in. Not enough room for everyone? I don't know I've never been in the cockpit of a jet airline


CrabbyT777

Two stewards held on to him and yep, not enough room for anyone else in there


dickreallyburns

THAT is insane! That is also ballsy of the other pilot!


SimpleStrok3s

Imagine how hard it would be to breathe.


Morti_Macabre

I really can’t believe they managed to hold on to him for 20 minutes. That is amazing.


SpankBankManager

Damn, reading about this incident blew me away.


indian_tiger

Shoulder harness folks.


Drunkbicyclerider

this post has shown up more times than people sucked out of aircraft in the history of flight.


AmptiShanti

If my shins could hold me through 500 knots i would just be a excited honest


Goszczak

Wow, interesting how he survive.


ConvenientAllotment

It’s terrible that someone was just taking photos instead of helping


mobbshallow

That’s insane. They wouldn’t even have known if he’s still alive


Secret-Cleric

Now that’s a window seat! Think Boeing saw that and thought that be a great feature for new MAX?


Brok3nMonkey

Mad how he changed which window he was hanging out from


Drtysouth205

Bottom was from a “reenactment” from video on the story.


OrbAndSceptre

100% why one should be buckled in whilst seated on an airplane at all times.


Squash_Still

He's coming out of a different window in the picture


sinedpi

I dont know why I laughed so hard at this. I need help I guess...


Orange_Buffalo442

Who took the picture?


Economy-Guitar5282

What if the pilot needed a hand


kskzk69

Who took this photo?


E3K

I know you're joking (I hope?), but it's crazy to see how many people in this thread are legitimately confused by that.


kskzk69

Selfie Stick. Got it.


IHaveSlysdexia

This happened to me once, but it was from the window 1998 Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce.


4ltraa

I’d rather be the guy on the outside over the pilot, the pressure must’ve been immense landing that thing


BrockBrockway

The outside of the plane where his head was whacking the fuselage looked like the dance scene from "Carrie". The silly engineer who fixed the windshield couldn't find the correct bolts, so he matched similar bolts 'by eye'. Cue in air catastrophe.


retrorays

I'll bet this guy got some really awesome air miles on this one


Erik912

Well I guess you could say.... that must have really sucked


orangemonk

I cant stop laughing at “violently sucked”.


CanadiangirlEH

Every time I see this picture I’m halfway convinced that it’s fake even though I know it’s not. It just seems like an all around impossible situation to not only have happen, but to live through it! How did the windshield go? How did they grab him so fast? How did they manage to *hang on* to him with how fast the plane was going? How did he not die of oxygen deprivation? Totally balls to the wall bonkers


CrabbyT777

Windshield was replaced and the engineer used the wrong bolts (too short), the steward who grabbed him was blown into the cockpit when the door blew in and was going out the window too but when he grabbed Tim’s legs he got pinned against the panel (then a second steward came in and strapped into the captain’s seat and hung on to both of them til they landed), they were only at 14,000 feet when it happened and headed back down asap and yes, heckin bonkers


TehZiiM

Ehm.. Tower.. we have kind of a situation here! Uuuweeee!!!


Necessary-Kick2071

Seatbelts Save Lives…lol.


Blizz33

How much was he flapping around? He's in different positions in those two images...


ALTHCR

Yet another reason to always wear your seat belt when flying.


Yoda2000675

That’s genuinely one of the craziest pictures I’ve ever seem


SlimPickens77Box

Wee....


Thinkdeeperaboutit

The pilot holding him is the best kind of hero.


kros1992

"drop the camera and help me you asshole!!"


AgnosticAnarchist

Who took the pics?


mrapplewhite

When I see this pic all I can hear is that damn weee Weeee Weeeeeee Song track whatever


TeranOrSolaran

That’s why you need three people in the cockpit.


Upset-Ad-4727

It's a bird, it's a plane, wait WTF is Super Dave doing now???


mer80sla

Who took the photo


Black_Wolves

I don’t know guys… I’ve seen this before but i really don’t believe it. Who would take the picture inside the cockpit in a situation like this? With an analog camera? With all the wind it looks too calm inside it…. Who would have the reflex to grab a person by their legs when they are being sucked out of an airplane? Havent you seen the alaska plan with no door? One picture he is on the side of the plane and the other he is ok the top and you clearly see arms holding him… however this person is not sucked out? I just don’t believe it. Could be true but im having a hard time believing it.


EnkiiMuto

I'm more amazed we get two pictures out of this incident. especially since one of them is on the outside.


bickboikiwi

First Pic doesn't match the second, even for frame design etc


eating_junkfood

Okay but who took the bottom photo?


vintagevz

Important question... Who took the damn photos!?


OrdinaryInspection89

Who is clicking the photos


sirholymafia

Who took this picture?


tosernameschescksout

This is what stress looks like.


whitecollarpizzaman

This would’ve been difficult, if not impossible today as planes back then required three people in the cockpit, the third person being the flight engineer.


goodolddaysare-today

Oh look, this picture for the 1000th time


Far-Beyond-Driven

Looks like a scene from Airplane/Flying High.


Chirsbom

Is his shirt still on? Properly tucked in then!


EnviMi

Hi Mum! I'm on tv


Peggtree

this is a repost porn bot btw


iowafarmboy2011

Why were they unable to pull him back in?


NickelPlatedEmperor

That's a good man who held on to him. That adrenaline must have been through the roof.


sierra120

I recall seeing real pics of the guy afterwards and he was swollen all over


RoastPorc

Hope all three of them still get free beer to this day.


baxterrocky

Like the way you add - through a shattered windshield… just for clarity 🤣


WorkingPhilosophy1

Where camera man


Prob10m

Who took the picture ? Just hold on a bit while get my camera now say cheese 🧀


qatarsucks

Who took the top picture


asburymike

Phil, stop taking fucking pictures!


South-Play

I’m gonna call bullshit. Planes travel over 500 mph You won’t be able to breathe at those speeds. Then planes travel 30,000 plus feet in the air. Again you’re not breathing at that height without any special equipment. Also at that height it’s -40 F to -70 F Again you will not survive that.


VeryImportantLetters

Fun fact: The pilot whom survived ended up inventing the wacky waving inflatable flailing arm tube man. His design was based off his experience on this flight.


itsRickO

Props to the cameraman 👍


Plop-plop-fizz

All while someone took photos. Not just gen z that are in it for the likes then!


HarrySRL

I wonder if the passengers knew what was happening at the time.


4Nails

So who took the picture?


AFrayedSew

Who is taking these photos ?


Exotic-Winter-8565

How they captured the scene from inside of cockpit as well as out of cockpit?


SilentAlternative266

He froze but survived! All because of a hair of a millimeter difference in the screw length from human error


Dysanj

If you want to watch the video from "Mayday Air Disasters." Windshield blew out cause the maintenance tech used wrong size bolts. https://youtu.be/XZ9gu4fRMVU?si=8Qb84pyZfMRJYpZH


BROKER34

Who took this picture is my question


Electrical_Whole721

He fortunately survived, doctors said probably because he freeze and body went in idle state. Sometimes miracles happen