In 1990, the windshield of British Airways Flight 5390 came off at an altitude of 17,000 feet. This triggered a sudden decompression in the cockpit, resulting in the captain being partially ejected out of the aircraft.

As luck would have it, Nigel Ogden, a flight attendant, was on his way into the cockpit at that moment. He managed to grab hold of the captain and maintain his grip for over 20 minutes while the copilot attempted an urgent landing.

Although the majority of the crew presumed that the pilot had already lost his life, Ogden did not let go.

There was a prevailing fear that if Ogden did release his hold, the pilot's body might strike the plane's engine, wing, or stabilizer, causing even more chaos. All Ogden knew was that the pilot was gradually slipping more and more out of the window and his head was continuously being battered against the airplane's body.

Finally, after a distressing 20-minute flight with a gaping window, the aircraft was safely brought down at Southampton Airport. In the course of events, Ogden suffered from frostbite on his face, damage to one of his eyes, and a dislocated shoulder. In a miraculous turn of events, the pilot survived the ordeal, although he had frostbite and multiple fractures on his arms and hands.

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