Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors

by Matt Parker

Steward Nigel Ogden rushed back on to the flight deck, to find the co-pilot trying to regain control of the aircraft because the pilot had been sucked out of the window, colliding with the control column on the way out and disengaging the autopilot. Well, he’s almost out of the window. He’s caught on the windscreen frame, so his legs are still inside the aircraft. Ogden managed to grab the pilot’s legs to stop him from flying out of the window completely. The co-pilot, Alistair Atcheson, was able to regain control of the aircraft and land it, with Captain Tim Lancaster dangling half out of the window. The crew had taken it in turns to hold on to his legs. Everyone survived, including Captain Lancaster, who spent twenty-two minutes outside the aircraft, made a full recovery and went back to being a pilot.