Chinese Co-Pilot Sucked Halfway Out Plane At 32,000 Feet After Cockpit Windscreen Shatters

The captain of a Chinese airline made an emergency landing Monday when the plane's windshield cracked mid-flight and partially sucked a crew member out of the cabin.

Sichuan Airlines Captain Liu Chuanjian and his crew members received praise on social media in China after having to manually land an Airbus A319 when pressure and temperature dropped inside the aircraft.

After the captain heard a deafening sound, he looked over and noticed the right windshield was missing.

"There was no sign before the windshield burst. Just a huge noise," Liu said, according to the China News Service.

Flight 3U8633 departed Chongqing, China and was heading to Lhasa, Tibet, when Liu noticed a loud noise inside the cabin. The plane was at 32,000 feet in the air about 80 minutes into the flight when the incident occurred, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported.

"When I looked at the other side, the co-pilot was partially blown out of the aircraft. Luckily, he had the belt buckled up. Many devices were malfunctioned and the plane was jolting strongly. It was very difficult to control," he added.

An unnamed co-pilot, who had been wearing a seatbelt at the time, was pulled back into the cabin. The pilot's injuries were minor including scratches and a sprained wrist. Other crew members also got hurt when the plane made its landing.

"Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned ... and I couldn’t hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges," Liu said.

The aircraft made its emergency landing in the southwest city of Chengdu. Everyone on the flight made it out safely and none of the 119 passengers on board were injured, according to reports.

Still, the incident caused unrest among many onboard at the time.

"All people were shouting onboard. We just tried our best to reassure the passengers and make everyone believe us that we could touch down safely," Zhou Yanwen, an injured flight attendant, said according to China News Service.

"It happened as the flight attendants were serving our meals. People were shocked," an unidentified passenger said.

Sichuan Airlines issued a statement via Chinese social media citing "mechanical failure," as a possible cause. An investigation into what exactly caused the window to break is ongoing.