The British Airways flight 5390 incident remains one of the most astonishing in the history of aviation. Perhaps even more amazingly, Lancaster was back flying just months later. He retired in 2008.

Captained by 42-year-old Tim Lancaster, who had logged 11,050 flight hours, and co-piloted by 39-year-old Alastair Atchison, who had logged 7,500 flight hours, the flight had a routine take off.

In 1990, a British Airways pilot was sucked out of a cockpit window mid-flight. He spent 20 minutes partially dangling out of the plane as the flight crew held his ankles. Miraculously, the co-pilot ...

British Airways Flight 5390 took off without a hitch on June 10, 1990. But just 13 minutes into the flight from Birmingham, England, to Malaga, Spain, disaster struck.

In 1990, a British Airways pilot was sucked out of a cockpit window mid-flight. He spent 20 minutes partially dangling out of the plane as the flight crew held his ankles. Miraculously, the co-pilot ...