Cracked screen forces plane carrying Aston Martin customers to make an emergency landing
The jet carrying car fans from Newcastle to the Geneva Motor show had to bank sharply moments after take-off when the cockpit window fractured
A FLIGHT taking Aston Martin customers to a swanky motor show was forced to make an emergency landing after the windscreen dramatically cracked.
The plane from Newcastle to Geneva in Switzerland had to bank sharply moments after take-off when the cockpit window fractured.
Shocking snaps obtained by The Sun show the large cracks spreading across the Boeing 737’s right-hand cockpit windscreen.
The plane had been due to take potential customers looking to buy posh Aston Martins to the Geneva International Motor Show when it was forced to turn around.
Rob Quigley, 23 who was on board told how other passengers screamed as the plane was forced to head back after rising to 14,000ft.
He said: “The pilot was incredibly calm, and told us that they’d had a slight problem so we were heading back to Newcastle.
“His message was slightly muffled as he was obviously wearing a mask while telling us what was going on.
“He said ‘Ladies and gents, we’ve had a bit of an issue, but we are going to turn around and head back.
“He acted very professionally, given that if he had continued to rise it could have ended very badly for all of us.”
The pilot managed to safely land back at Newcastle and the customers made it to Geneva on a new plane four hours later.
Rob, a recruiter from Middlesbrough added: “When we landed we saw the front layer of the cockpit had smashed.
“Had it happened a few minutes later the cockpit would have decompressed it’s not worth thinking about.
“We were back at Newcastle around ten minutes after the problem happened.
“There was a bit of pressure drop, with our ears popping.
“There was a woman two rows behind me who was not a comfortable flyer – she fully screamed.
“We all felt a bit uncomfortable, but there wasn’t mass panic.
“Although some of us were laughing uncomfortably.”
A spokesperson said: “Flight LS6556 from Newcastle to Geneva followed procedure and returned to base as a precautionary measure this morning, after the crew reported a minor fault.
The aircraft landed safely, and customers will be flown to Geneva on a replacement aircraft. We apologise for the delay to the start of their holiday.”
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