A Loganair flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to City of Derry Airport (LDY) declared a mid‑air emergency on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, after a crack appeared in the cockpit windscreen, prompting a rapid descent and instructions for passengers to adopt the brace position while crossing the Irish Sea.
Brace Order Issued
Around fifty passengers were on board Flight LM652 when the aircraft began descending over the Blackpool area. One of those passengers, Joanne McLaughlin, who was travelling from England to visit relatives in Derry, said the initial announcement left her convinced the aircraft was in serious danger.
“When the first announcement was made, I 100% thought I was going to die, it was absolutely terrifying,” she said. She added: “There were people on the plane who were visibly very distressed. I fully thought because we were over the sea when the emergency call was made, I thought the plane was going to crash into the sea.”
The emergency began when the crew discovered a crack in the outer pane of the front right cockpit windscreen. The captain declared an emergency to Air Traffic Control, reportedly setting the transponder to the emergency squawk code and initiated a controlled descent. Passengers were told to prepare for an emergency landing while the crew assessed the structural integrity of the cockpit window.
Another passenger, Chris Wright, who was travelling from Surrey to visit family in Derry, said the aircraft dropped sharply after the announcement:
“They initially said they had declared an emergency over the tannoy and the plane started dropping very quickly.” He said cabin crew delivered a clear instruction: “The flight attendant came on and said the captain has declared an emergency, ‘this is important, I need your attention’. He said ‘please prep the plane for an emergency landing’.”
Officials Respond to the Incident
After monitoring the aircraft’s systems, the crew confirmed the inner pane was intact and cabin pressure stable. The flight had initially been due to divert to Belfast City Airport but the pilot confirmed it was safe to continue on to Derry.
The aircraft landed safely at City of Derry Airport (CODA), where fire crews and police had assembled along the runway. A spokesperson for Loganair said:
“As a precaution, the flight crew followed appropriate safety protocols, and the aircraft landed as normal. The safety and well‑being of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”
Some passengers criticised the lack of post‑flight support. McLaughlin said:
“There were fifty odd people on that plane who thought they were going to die, and when we landed, we were not offered anything or even to sit down for five minutes.”
A spokesperson for City of Derry Airport said emergency services responded in line with established procedures.
Investigations into the cause of the windscreen failure are continuing.
Do you think airlines should offer more support after in‑flight emergencies? Let us know in the comments.
