Pilot 'sucked halfway' out of plane, survives

Windshield on the right side of the jet's cockpit was shattered. Pic/Getty Images

The co-pilot of a Sichuan Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday was "sucked halfway" out of the plane after a cockpit windshield blew out, the aircraft's captain said.

Captain Liu Chuanjian, hailed as a hero on social media after having to land the Airbus A319 manually, said his aircraft had just reached a cruising altitude of 32,000 feet when a deafening sound tore through the cockpit.

"Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window," he was quoted as saying. The co-pilot, who was wearing a seatbelt, was pulled back in. An investigation into how the incident occurred is underway.

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