Pilot makes emergency landing in Istanbul after hailstones shatter windscreen

He successfully managed to save lives of 121 passengers and six crew members

A Ukrainian pilot has won the hearts of his passengers and the crew when he made a jaw-dropping emergency landing amid a heavy storm over Turkey.

Captain Alexander Akopov bravely carried out safe and sound landing when the windscreen of the plane shattered due to hailstones, saving the lives of 121 passengers and six crew members with his skills.

The heavy storm in Turkey, this Thursday, witnessed downpour and hailstones the size of an egg, leaving the pilot’s view almost blind, making a safe landing next to impossible.

In #Istanbul a #Ukrainian pilot landed a #Turkish #plane w/ 121 passengers on board - heavily damaged by hail storm & with zero visibility. pic.twitter.com/AL5RMf5iR1

— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) July 28, 2017

Following the landing, Akopov said, “I have been flying for 30 years. Well, did you see the plane landing? Was it okay? The passengers are alive. It is normal. This is our professional reliability.

“Our locator did not show this weather disaster, this is why it happened. It was hard, but the main thing is that people are alive.”

The pilot was granted special permission to land the plane at Turkey’s Ataturk airport despite it being closed down for other flights because of extremely bad weather.

Huge sighs of relief were exhaled, followed by a round of applause by frightened passengers celebrating their ‘second birthday’.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko recognised the bravery and skill of the pilot, and awarded him with the Order of Courage.

The article originally appeared on The Independent