Plane takes off without windows, noticed at nine thousand feet
Passengers aboard an A321 airplane experienced a frightful incident after they took off from London's Stansted airport and discovered at over 9,000 feet that the plane was flying without a few windows.
10:21 AM EST, November 11, 2023
The Airbus A321, operated by the American airline Titan Airways, was on its way from London, United Kingdom, to Orlando, Florida, when it had to be turned around 36 minutes after take-off.
It was later discovered that the aircraft had four damaged windows. International media, including CNN, have reported that two of them were entirely missing.
Of interest is, that there were - as reported by NBC NEWS - 11 crew members and 9 passengers onboard at the time of the incident.
Plane becomes cold and loud
A special report published by the Department of Air Accident Investigation reveals that shortly after departure, passengers reported the cabin was colder and louder than usual.
Loud enough to potentially cause hearing damage - as described by CNN.
Subsequently, a crew member noticed that the window seal on the plane's left side was "flapping in the air stream." Sensing the gravity of the situation, the crew member promptly alerted the rest of the crew.
Plane missing two windows turns back from above 13,000 feet
In response to this situation, the pilot decided to decelerate and return to the London Airport, as they were already above 13,000 feet.
After landing, the cabin crew inspected the plane and found that two sets of windows were missing. Each set included an inner and outer window pane and a rubber gasket.
The incident report noted that the situation could have led to "more serious consequences" if the window had "lost its integrity at an even higher pressure difference."
