The flight from HAIL! Plane is forced to make an emergency landing after massive hailstones smash its cockpit windows
- Tianjin Airlines’ plane was flying in China while encountering the severe weather
- Hailstone smashed the A320’s nose cone and two windscreens at 32,000ft
- All passengers and crew members were unhurt after the landing yesterday
A plane had to make an emergency landing in China yesterday after being battered by hailstones at more than 32,000 feet.
Huge lumps of ice smashed the plane’s nose cone and shattered two windscreens in the cockpit, according to pictures released by Chinese aviation authorityCAAC.
All passengers and crew members on the Tianjin Airlines’ flight were safe, according to the carrier.
Battered: The Tianjin Airlines plane was seriously damaged yesterday while flying in China
The domestic flight was travelling from Tianjin, a major Chinese port city, to Haikou, a popular beach destination, when it encountered the severe weather.
The flight number GS7865 was struck by hailstones about two hours into its four-hour-long journey.
Pictures taken after the emergency landing show the plane’s nose cone had a large dent and was seriously damaged; and the outer layer of two of its windscreens were broken.
According to information on Flightrader24, the plane took off from Tianjin Binhai International Airport at 3:26pm local time yesterday. It was expected to arrive in Haikou Meilan International Airport at 6:25pm.
The windscreens in the cockpit were shattered after the flight encountered the severe weather
The plane had to make an emergency landing two hours into its four-hour-long journey
The aircraft is said to be an Airbus A320-232, which can typically carry 158 passengers.
The aircraft was cruising at 9,800 metres (32,152 feet) above Zhengzhou when the hail occurred, according to local newspaper Dahe.
In an online statement, the airline said the A320 plane was diverted to Wuhan. It made a safe landing and all passengers were unhurt.
The flight resumed its journey in the evening from Wuhan and arrived in Haikou at 1:34am today local time.
It remains unclear if they airline changed the aircraft for the remainder of the journey.
Headquartered in Tianjin Binhai International Airport in north-east China, Tianjin Airlines operates both domestic and international flights. It has more than 160 flight routes to more than 100 cities.
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