Titan Airways Airbus A321 flies with missing windows

The crew of a Titan Airways Airbus A321-200N, registered G-OATW, operating flight AWC-305Y from London Stansted, EN (UK) to Orlando, FL (USA), noticed excessive noise in the cabin as the aircraft was climbing through about 10,000 feet out of Stansted’s runway 22. They stopped the climb at about FL150 and returned to Stansted for a safe landing on runway 22 about 37 minutes after takeoff.

According to the British AAIB, the aircraft had significant damage and three cabin windows were either gone or loose. The left-hand stabilizer also had damage. The AAIB is looking into the incident, which was classified as an accident.

In response to the event, Titan Airways released the following statement: “The crew became aware of increased cabin noise and a problem with one of the windows. Using standard operating protocols, the pilot safely landed the aircraft without signaling an emergency. There was no activation of the airport’s emergency services.

The airline added, “The 21 staff employees on board, who were being relocated for their next scheduled trip, were unaffected and got in the usual manner. The outer panel of three windows was missing when the landing was reached. The necessary authorities were informed right away, and an investigation is currently being conducted.

Further explanation was given by the BEA, which stated, “During the rise, at an altitude of around 10,000 feet, the crew noted an unusual degree of cabin noise, causing the aircraft to execute a turn back to London Stansted. Three windows were found to be missing and loose, and the left-hand stabiliser had sustained significant damage.

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