An Airbus pilot made an emergency landing that is being hailed as a miraculous escape for 121 passengers and 6 crew members aboard a Turkish airline. In the terrifying incident, the heroic move of the pilot landing the airplane after the cockpit’s windscreen was smashed due to a hailstorm.
There was also some malfunction in the flight’s auto-pilot function. The brave pilot landed the jet “blind” and almost tore off its nose cone. Though it was dangerous and risky, the ‘blind’ pilot landed the plane safely.
Incredible pictures show the plane after the pilot’s heroic emergency landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport with 127 passengers on board on July 27.
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko congratulated the captain. Captain Alexander Akopov was awarded the Ukrainian Order For Courage in his home nation after successfully landing the Airbus A320 at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Thursday.
In #Istanbul a #Ukrainian pilot landed a #Turkish #plane w/ 121 passengers on board – heavily damaged by hail storm & with zero visibility. pic.twitter.com/AL5RMf5iR1
— olexander scherba (@olex_scherba) July 28, 2017
Video of the amazing landing is now being shared widely online, with people applauding the pilot’s bravery.
Watch The Video Here:
According to news reports, the captain said the hailstones were the size of hen’s eggs, almost tearing off the nose cone; the crew was apparently celebrating the landing as if it was a ‘second birthday’.
Hailstones the size of eggs cracked the windscreen just 10 minutes after the plane took off, left a huge dent in the tourist jet, and shut down its autopilot. The pilot, who had just taken off for Erkan, Cyprus, was given special permission to land at Ataturk airport despite it being closed for other flights due to bad weather.
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Passengers broke out in applause after their pilot landed them safely on the wet runway.