London: Flight departed without windows, crew noticed it mid-air
In an unusual event, a flight from Stansted Airport in London took off despite missing two window panes. The flight, destined for Orlando, Florida, had to make an emergency landing at New Jersey's Essex airport after a crew member spotted the issue mid-air. The aircraft had reached an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet when this incident was noticed, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Windows were flapping mid-air
Following the aircraft's takeoff and seatbelt deactivation, a crew member at the back of the aircraft observed that the seal surrounding one of the windows was "flapping." Upon further examination, it was discovered that the foam intended to secure the windows is either missing or melted as a result of the high temperatures. The incident occurred on October 4, 2023.
High-powered lights were used the previous day
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) stated in a preliminary report that high-powered lights that were employed the day before for filming were the cause of the accident. The windows may have sustained thermal damage and distortion due to elevated temperatures. The lights were shone on the right side of the aircraft for nearly five-and-a-half hours, before moving to the left for four hours.
The lights were placed close to the aircraft
According to the AAIB, the lights were between six and nine meters away from the broken windows, even though they were intended to be positioned no closer than ten meters from the object being illuminated. These lights were allegedly placed close to the airplane to give the impression of sunrise during the filming. It did not mention what filming it was for.
The cabin 'remained pressurized normally' during the flight
The aircraft used by United States-based luxury travel business TCS World Travel and operated by Titan Airways, carried nine passengers and eleven crew members when it encountered the potentially disastrous issue. According to a preliminary report, besides two missing windowpanes, others were also misaligned. Despite this issue, the cabin remained pressurized normally. All nine passengers were seated in the middle of the plane.
