An Airbus A321 aircraft, previously utilized by Britain’s King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was compelled to turn back in mid-flight after reaching an altitude of 14,500 feet when the crew discovered that two windows were missing.
The incident occurred during a flight from London Stansted Airport to Orlando on October 4.
The aircraft had windows damaged by powerful lights used in a recent film shoot.
Onboard were 11 crew members and nine passengers, who were employees of Titan Airways and the US-based luxury tour company TCS World Travel.
Shortly after takeoff, a crew member noticed an issue with one of the windows’ seals, leading to a loud noise in the cabin.
The AAIB stated “the cabin had remained pressurised normally.”
In addition, the investigation into the incident revealed that both the inner and outer panes, along with the rubber seals, were missing, leaving only the plastic scratch panes intact.
The damaged windowpanes were “deformed and shrunk[en]”, the AAIB said in an official statement.
“Whereas in this case the damage became apparent at around FL100 (10,000 feet) and the flight was concluded uneventfully, a different level of damage by the same means might have resulted in more serious consequences, especially if window integrity was lost at higher differential pressure,” the AAIB said.
Moreover, the pilots decided to return to London, despite no abnormal cockpit indications, maintaining normal cabin pressure throughout the incident.
This alarming event occurred after the aircraft was used for filming, during which powerful lights were directed at the plane for extended periods to create a sunrise illusion. These lights were positioned too close to the aircraft’s windows, causing damage to the window components.
Furthermore, a subsequent examination revealed that foam meant to secure the components had either melted due to high temperatures or was entirely absent. The damaged panes were found to be deformed and shrunken.
The same plane had been used by King Charles and Queen Camilla during their recent state visit to France and had also reportedly been used by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly before being assigned to private service.
