2023-10-16 16:58:12
A Titan Airways Airbus A321 Neo had to turn back because the crew heard loud noises from the cabin. The reason for this was quite unusual.
The Airbus A321 LR with the registration G-OATW had just taken off from London Stansted to Orlando, Florida on October 4th on flight AWC-305Y. There were no travelers on board; the crew of the charter business airline Titan Airways took the plane to Florida, where it was scheduled for its next mission. But after the start something was wrong.
When the jet reached an altitude of 10,000 feet (around 3,000 meters), the cockpit crew noticed that it was very loud in the back of the cabin, much louder than usual, writes the Aviation Herald portal, which specializes in incidents. She decided to turn back and landed back in Stansted 37 minutes after take-off.
Windows were missing or loose
On the ground they discovered that something was wrong. According to the investigating authority, three windows were missing or loose. In addition, the left elevator was damaged – possibly because one of the lost windows had grazed it. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch AAIB classified the incident as an accident and is now investigating.
The aircraft had previously been in service with the British government and was used for VIP flights. From September 23rd to October 2nd it had been at London Southend Airport for maintenance, servicing and repair work and then flown to Stansted.
Titan Airways talks about fairings
Titan Airways has now also commented itself. The airline writes that “the outer paneling of three windows was missing.” Meanwhile, the French investigative agency BEA explains, with reference to the British AAIB: “It was found that three windows were missing and loose and the left elevator was damaged.”
1697476539
#Titan #Airways #Airbus #A321 #loses #windows #takeoff