A Chinese pilot was hailed a hero on social media on Tuesday for successfully landing a commercial aircraft after his co-pilot was sucked "halfway" out of the cockpit in mid-flight.

The incident occurred while the Sichuan Airlines Airbus A-319 was flying at 800-900 kilometers per hour (500-560 miles per hour) at cruising altitude on its way from the central province of Chongqing to the city of Lhasa in Tibet.

Read more: Southwest Airlines catastrophic engine failure leaves one dead

'Luckily his seatbelt was tied'

"The windshield burst suddenly and a loud noise was heard, and when I looked to the side, I saw that the co-pilot was already halfway out of the window," Liu Chuanjian told Chinese newspaper Chengdu Business Daily. "Luckily his seatbelt was tied."

"Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air," he added. "Most of the equipment malfunctioned ... and I couldn't hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges."

Liu was able to make a successful emergency landing in the southwestern city of Chengdu 20 minutes after the accident occurred. The injured co-pilot suffered scratches and a sprained wrist.

Read more: Southwest Airlines plane with cracked window makes emergency landing

'My Hero Captain'

On Weibo, a social media platform popular in China, more than 160 million people had viewed or participated in discussions about Liu's performance. The most popular chat forum on the incident ran the title: "My Hero Captain."

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it would work with investigators from France's BEA accident investigation agency and Airbus to examine what caused the window to shatter.

"The windshield has not recorded any failures, nor did it require any maintenance and replacement work" before the incident, CAAC safety director Tang Weibin said.

Read more: Airbus wins massive Chinese order for new planes

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft 'A significant milestone' Commercial Aircraft Corp. (COMAC) presented its new creation to the world on November 2 — the C919 jet. The single-aisle plane, which can seat up to 168 passengers and has a range of up to 5,555 kilometers (3,452 miles), was unveiled in Shanghai. "The rollout of the first C919 marks a significant milestone in the development of China's first indigenous aircraft," said COMAC chief Jin Zhuanglong.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft An impressive ceremony About 4,000 government officials and other guests were present at the ceremony that took place at a hangar near Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. A small truck towed the 39-meter-long plane out of a cavernous building decorated with an enormous Chinese flag.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft A delayed entry Development of the twin-engine C919 started in 2008. Plans called for a first flight in 2014 and for it to enter service in 2016, but those targets were pushed back due to production delays. The aircraft is now expected to enter service in 2019 at the earliest.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft Foreign support Although the C919 is made in China, many of the plane's critical systems such as engines and avionics are being supplied by either foreign firms or joint ventures between Chinese companies and Western manufacturers.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft A huge market China is one of the world's biggest aviation markets, with Boeing projecting the country's total demand for civilian aircraft over the next two decades to be worth over $800 billion. Boeing and Airbus, the European aviation giant, have long eyed the lucrative market and want to position themselves as the main suppliers of planes to China.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft Moving up the value chain However, China's leadership has been striving to transform the country from being the world's factory of low-cost goods into a manufacturer of high-tech products. The development of the C919 is part of these restructuring efforts and helps the country ascend the product value chain and become a maker of high-value items.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft Increased competition? The single-aisle C919 is expected to compete with Airbus' A320 and Boeing's 737 for market share, not only in China but also in other markets. The plane's maker, COMAC, says it has already received orders for 517 of its jets from 21 customers. While most of the orders come from China-based carriers, there are also a few from foreign ones.

A look at the first made-in-China passenger aircraft Big business The unveiling of the C919 came just days after Airbus signed contracts with Chinese partners on the delivery of 100 A320 passenger planes and 30 A330 aircraft worth €15.4 billion ($17 billion). The deals were signed during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent visit to China. Author: Srinivas Mazumdaru



amp/aw (AFP, Reuters)