This plane took off without windows and the crew only noticed 14,500 feet in the air

A plane departed from Stansted Airport in London, destined for Florida, with two missing window glasses.

The Airbus A321 jet, previously used by the government, had an unsettling return journey to the Essex airport after a crew member spotted the missing windowswhile the aircraft was in mid-flight.

The aircraft had reached an altitude of 14,500 feet.

During the flight, all passengers were seated in the middle of the aircraft. After takeoff and the deactivation of the seatbelt sign, a crew member at the rear of the plane noticed that the seal around one of the windows was "flapping".

The mishap was attributed to high-powered lights used during a filming event that took place the day before.

As pera report in The Independent, these lights had been positioned near the aircraft to create a sunrise illusion for the filming. While it was meant to be a controlled operation, it ultimately had serious consequences.

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Close call for passengers and crew

The plane, which had 11 crew members and nine passengers on board, experienced a potentially catastrophic situation.

Had it not been the presence of mindof a crew member, the outcome could have been much more dire.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) stated that this incident had the potential for "more serious consequences."

Upon examination of the aircraft, investigators in their preliminary report found that not only were two of the cabin windowpanes missing, but otherswere misaligned.

The aircraft, which was used by the luxury travel business TCS World Travel in the United States, was operated by Titan Airways.

The preliminaryreport also indicatedthat this crew member promptly informed others, leading to the decision to return to the airport.

(With inputs from agencies)