British Airways Flight 5390

On June 10,1990, British Airways Flight 5390 took off from England to Spain. The
Captains involved in this incident is Captain Tim Lancaster, with 11,050 flight hours and a
copilot named Alastair Atchison, with 7,500 hours of flight.

Due to an explosive decompression, the left windscreen of the cockpit was detached
thus Lancaster was propelled from his seat and was fortunately grabbed by Nigel Ogden who
happened to be at the flight deck. The copilot. Alistair Atchison then put on an oxygen mask
and made an emergency descent to reach an altitude with sufficient pressure because the
plane was not equipped with enough oxygen mask for everyone. Eventually, Alistear
Atchison was able to make an emergency landing at Southampton Airport. Lancaster luckily
survived with no major injuries and were able to return to work after 5 months.

It was later found out through investigation that the 84 bolts used to install the
windscreen was too small in diameter and the rest were too short. The shift maintenance
manager was held responsible for failing to follow the British Airways Policies by installing
the incorrect bolts.

Alastair Atchinson and the cabin crews were awarded the Queen’s Commendation for
Valuable Service in the Air. Atchinson was a awarded a 1992 Polaris Award for his ability
and heroism.