The Chinese pilot, Liu Chuanjian, was awarded the five million yuan and the title of “hero captain of China’s civil aviation.” (Courtesy of ChinaDaily)
…pilot awarded $777,912 for his heroism
A pilot of Sichuan Airlines, Liu Chuanjian, Chuanjian was operating one the Chinese airline’s flight to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, on May 14 when a windshield of the plane suddenly shattered at 32,000 feet above ground and pulled his co-pilot, who was wearing his seatbelt, out of the window.
“Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang,” the pilot reportedly said, according to a Daily Mail report.
“The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window.”
Chunajian was forced to immediately land the Airbus A319 carrying 119 passengers.
The co-pilot reportedly suffered only minor scratches. None of the passengers were injured.
The incident was investigated by authorities.
Sichuan Airlines. is a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan China, operating mainly scheduled domestic flights out of Chengdu.
China Southern Airlines said a “mechanical failure” was to blame, reported The Daily Mail, which also cited a Wall Street Journal report.
The pilot has been awarded $776,912 for calmly landing a flight after his co-pilot was “sucked halfway” out of the cockpit window.
The Chinese pilot, Liu Chuanjian, was awarded the five million yuan and the title of “hero captain of China’s civil aviation,” Xinhua News Agency reported.
Other members of the airline crew were also awarded for successfully handling the emergency, the Daily Mail reported.
Xu Ruichen, the 27-year-old co-pilot received one million yuan, ($156,228). The deputy captain, Liang Peng, was awarded two million yuan ($312,456), and six other crew members were given one million yuan between them, Xinhua reported.
