挡风玻璃破碎 中国"英雄"飞行员紧急迫降

‘Hero’ Pilot Lands Safely in China After Plane Loses Windshield

This is What’s Trending Today….

A Chinese airplane made an emergency landing Monday after its front window broke and one of its pilots was partly pulled out of the plane.

The Sichuan Airlines passenger flight took off from Chongqing, in southwest China. It was traveling to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The airplane’s other pilot, Liu Chuanjian, safely landed the plane in the city of Chengdu.

Now, Liu is being called a hero in China.

The plane was flying at a height of about 9,700 meters when an extremely loud sound was heard in the cockpit, Liu said. The cockpit experienced a sudden loss of air pressure and drop in temperature. When he looked over, Liu saw the cockpit’s right window was gone.

Liu was reported as saying, “The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway¹ out of the window."

The co-pilot was wearing his seatbelt. He was able to be pulled back inside the plane. He suffered minor² injuries. One other employee was injured in the incident.

Liu took control. He had to land the plane manually because the automatic flight-control system stopped working. He safely landed the plane in Chengdu. None of the plane’s 119 passengers were hurt, the Civil Aviation³ Administration of China (CAAC) said.

One unnamed passenger told the government-run China News Service that airline workers had been serving passengers food when the plane began to shake. Oxygen masks dropped. The plane dropped for a few seconds before it “stabilized again.”

The passenger said, “I’m still nervous. I don’t dare to take an airplane anymore. But I’m also happy I had a narrow escape.”

The incident was a trending discussion Tuesday in China and around the world. Many are praising Liu for being able to land the plane. On the Chinese site Sina Weibo, users are writing messages with the hashtag #ChinaHeroPilot.

The Sichuan Airlines incident comes a month after an American passenger on a Southwest Airlines plane was partly sucked out after a window broke mid-flight. The passenger, Jennifer Riordan, later died.

Incidents involving partly broken windshields are somewhat common. They are usually caused by a bird or lightning striking⁵ the window. However, it is rare for an entire windshield to come off.

And that’s What’s Trending Today….

Words in This Story

cockpit - n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits

suck - v. to pull (something) with the force of moving water, air, etc.

manual - adj. operated or controlled with the hands or by a person

automatic - adj. ?having controls that allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person?

stabilize⁴ - v. ?to make (something) steady

nervous - adj. having or showing feelings of being worried and afraid about what might happen?

dare - v. to have enough courage or confidence to do something : to not be too afraid to do something

windshield - n. the window at the front of a car, truck, etc., that protects the driver and passengers

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

4 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

5 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。