Heroic pilot awarded for landing plane with smashed windscreen during hailstorm
A heroic pilot has received an 'Order For Courage' award after he landed a plane battered by hailstones the size of golf balls.
Captain Alexander Akopov was flying the Atlasglobal Airbus A320 from Istanbul to Cyprus on Thursday with 127 passengers when the storm hit just after takeoff.
The nose of the plane was thrashed by giant hailstones and the front windscreen was smashed.
Captain Akopov and the co-pilot were unable to see ahead due to the damaged windscreen and decided to turn around to try and land the aircraft back at Istanbul airport, The Telegraph reported.
A terrified passenger filmed the moment the storm hit, showing tourists crying and gripping the seats in front of them.
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The moment the plane landed in Istanbul was also captured by ground staff, with one heard saying: “It won’t be able to land, it won’t land."
But once the aircraft touched down safely, it was greeted by an applause from airport staff and emergency services.
Captain Akopov, who has been a pilot for 30 years, said the successful landing was due to his "professional reliability."
"Well, did you see the plane landing? Was it OK? The passengers are alive. It is normal," he said.
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko awarded the hero pilot with the Ukrainian Order of Courage and two crew members were also praised for their efforts during the emergency.
The hail was part of a massive storm that thrashed Istanbul, injuring ten people.
