At 14,500 feet, the pilot noticed that the window was missing glass

Trouble in midair. A Florida-bound plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Essex Airport in the UK after the pilot discovered two of the plane’s windows were missing glass.

The error was spotted by a crew member after the flight reached 14,500 feet above London’s Stansted Airport, The Independent reported. The Airbus A321 was carrying a total of 20 people, including 11 crew members and nine passengers.

According to reports, the incident took place a day after the aircraft was used for filming. The high-intensity lights used in movie sets have been known to damage window glass. According to the initial report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), high-voltage lights were installed to create the atmosphere of a sunrise. The investigating agency said the authorities should have checked the details of the plane before it was ready for take-off. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch added in their report that the window panes were “distorted and shrunken”.

According to the report, the Titan Airways plane is used by an American luxury holiday company called TCS World Travel. The AAIB said a crew member first noticed a windowpane shaking. At that time, the aircraft was at an altitude of 14,500 feet. The AAIB also said there was normally good pressure inside the aircraft at the time.

If the pilot had not made an emergency landing, there could have been a major loss, the investigating agency said. Especially if the window panes were broken by the high differential pressure, the plane could have collapsed with the passengers on board.

Source: Khaleej Times