(RNN) - A flight out of China made an emergency landing after a copilot was sucked halfway out of the aircraft's cockpit.
Officials said the incident happened Monday when the windshield shattered on Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U8633. State-run China News Service reported copilot Xu Ruichen survived but suffered a scratch on his face and sprained his waist during the landing.
A flight attendant also sustained minor injuries.
The plane was flying at 30,000 feet at the time on its way to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Pilot Liu Chuanjian diverted the flight and landed it in Chengdu.
"The situation was very critical. The windshield was blown off at a 10,000-meter-high altitude. The aircraft was in a state of low pressure and a temperature was minus 30 to minus 40 degree Celsius," said Jiang Wenxue, a Civil Aviation Administration official, reported state news agency Xinhua.
Chinese state television station CCTVsaid the copilot remained calm through the ordeal.
The CAA said the windshield showed no signs of malfunction that required any maintenance prior to the incident. None of the 128 passengers on board were injured, and they took another flight to their destination, according to reports.
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