Hailstorm shatters plane’s windshield during ‘roller coaster’ flight
A commercial flight in China was nearly forced to make an emergency landing when massive hunks of hail shattered the jumbo jet’s windshield, according to reports Monday.
China Southern Airlines flight CZ3101 was headed from Guangzhou to Beijing when the hailstorm struck and badly cracked the Airbus A380’s front window as it soared at 37,000 feet, according to the Aviation Herald.
“It felt like riding a roller coaster. I nearly vomited,” one passenger told China.org.cn.
The pilot, He Xianghang, sent a mayday distress signal to air traffic control then dropped the plane to 16,700 feet and managed to land it safely in Beijing, the outlet reported. Before landing, he told the air trafficker he could “still see.”
Stunning images taken from inside the cockpit show the destroyed front windshield and shattered side-windows of the plane.
The high-impact ice balls also chipped paint off the nose of the jet, another photo shows.
Nobody was injured, according to the local outlet.