Titan Airways Flight Confirmed to Have Taken Off With Missing Window

Titan Airways Flight Confirmed to Have Taken Off With Missing Window

BY JACK TURNER Published on October 16, 2023 0 COMMENTS

After a week-long investigation, a probe concluded that a recent Titan Airways incident involving an a321LR returning to London Stansted Airport (STN) was caused by the aircraft simply missing windows before takeoff.

 


The incident occurred on October 4 when the aircraft, an a321LR registered G-OATW, suddenly turned around while ascending at 10,000 feet and returned to Stansted Airport. The plane operated a regularly scheduled flight between Stansted Airport and Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida.

 

Photo: Peyton Stikeleather | AeroXplorer

 

Reportedly, the plane turned around after the flight attendants notified the pilots of excessive noise in the cabin. The aircraft stayed approximately 15,000 feet to dump fuel before returning to make an emergency landing at Stansted Airport roughly 35 minutes after the initial departure.

 


The incident has been investigated, and a newly released probe showed that three missing and loose windows caused excessive cabin noise. The investigation also found significant damage across the aircraft, with the left stabilizer in particular being in bad condition.

 

Photo: Pierre G | AeroXplorer


Baffling, however, is that the aircraft had undergone routine maintenance and inspection just days beforehand, having been in the shop from September 23 to October 2. Moreover, the plane is less than three years old and delivered to Titan Airways in March of 2021. Before being used by Titan, the British Government used the aircraft for VIP flights, but the total flying time of the plane was still very small.

 


Titan Airways does not operate regularly scheduled passenger flights, but it operates charter flights with passengers. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the incident, but how the plane was able to operate with broken windows, or how the windows broke in the first place, remains unclear. Titan will certainly have to answer many questions over the coming days.

 

Photo: Cody Newton | AeroXplorer


Presumably, more information on how and when the windows broke will likely be released in the coming days and weeks. Still, for now, the incident remains troubling, given the aircraft's maintenance history. 

 AeroXplorer is on Telegram! Subscribe to the AeroXplorer Telegram Channel to receive aviation news updates as soon as they are released. View Channel 
Jack Turner
Jack is a member of the AeroXplorer writing team and particularly enjoys sharing news around domestic flying and news surrounding his favorite airline, Delta. Jack splits his time between his hometown of Burlingame, California and Ithaca, New York and enjoys all things public transport in addition to aviation.

Comments (0)

Add Your Comment

TIPLogin or sign up to personalize your AeroXplorer experience.

TAGS

NEWS Titan Airways Charter A321 A321neo Stansted Orlando MCO STN

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

Avianca vs. jetBlue: The Battle for Spirit's Florida Throne As Spirit Airlines exits bankruptcy weaker than before, Avianca and jetBlue are positioning to claim its lucrative Florida-Latin America routes. ROUTES READ MORE »
Argentina Scales Back Special World Cup Flights as Fuel Costs Climb and Demand Falls Short Argentine carriers reduce special charter flights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing high jet fuel prices and weaker than expected ticket demand. ROUTES READ MORE »
JetBlue Plans New Fort Lauderdale to Caracas Route: What Travelers Should Know JetBlue plans to launch service between Fort Lauderdale and Caracas, pending government approvals. Here's what travelers need to know about the new route. ROUTES READ MORE »


×
AeroXplorer+

More than just headlines.

Get unlimited ad-free access to in-depth aviation news, premium stories, and exclusive insights other sites don't cover.

  • Ad-free browsing on AeroXplorer
  • Unlimited access to premium and exclusive articles
  • Higher photo upload limits & commissions on sales
  • Free access to Jetstream Magazine on higher tiers
Join over 3,000 aviation enthusiasts. Cancel anytime.
Basic+ $2.99/mo
  • Ad-free browsing
  • Sell aviation photos with 60% commission



What is your estimated annual budget for aviation-related purchases?

We're building something new for our community.