Hero Pilot makes Blind Emergency Landing after Plane was Damaged in Horrific Hailstorm
Captain Alexander Apokovv experience and calmness in the face of a frightening situation has been credited with saving the lives of passengers on a recent flight.
The AtlasGlobal plane, which belongs to a Turkish airline, left the airport with 121 passengers and six crew members on board. But just 10 minutes into the Airbus A320’s flight, terror reigned.
At 1,300 meters up in the air, the plane became trapped in a freak hailstorm that hadn’t popped up on the aircraft’s weather sensors. It took all of the captain’s skill and talent to navigate through the life-threatening predicament the passengers found themselves in.
Golf ball-sized hail pelted the plane. The dense ice chunks smashed the plane so hard that it shattered the windshield and crushed the aircraft’s nose.
Shockingly, the storm severely damaged the autopilot function, ripping that operation from the captain’s fingertips. He knew that he could not and would not let 126 people in his care perish on his watch.
The damaged plane appeared to onlookers as it would flip right on over as the captain and co-pilot tried to land it.
But they did. They nailed it. And they saved everyone’s life on that plane.
Because of the captain’s incredible success in landing the plane in such insane conditions, he was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Courage by the Ukranian president. The passengers could be heard on a Facebook video crying and praying. Their prayers were answered, as they all disembarked the plane with only bumps and bruises from the harrowing ordeal. They cruised to a stop amidst frenzied applause.
