According to The Irish Daily Mail, U2 frontman Bono‘s Learjet 60 D-CGEO lost the rear hatch door mid-flight on its way to Berlin. While an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation, pilots were able to safely land the plane at Berlin’s Schoenefeld Airport. The incident occurred about an hour into the flight from Dublin to Berlin (which is approximately a two-hour flight).
A source close to the situation told the Daily Mail, ‘He was extremely lucky, the plane could have gone down. About an hour into the journey they heard a big thud coming from the rear of the plane.
‘They were startled for a bit but they continued on and made the descent into Berlin airport. When they landed they were horrified to learn that the compartment at the rear of the plane had completely detached.
‘The entire door along with Bono and his companions’ luggage had fallen out mid-air. They don’t know if the door and the contents landed over water or land but they were extremely lucky. They were at an altitude where anything could have happened and they are all feeling very lucky to be alive.’
Bono was with four friends on the plane. His U2 bandmates were not on the plane, as they were scheduled to fly out a later time. The group was to appear in Berlin for an awards ceremony, but Bono flew out early to attend a diplomatic meeting with German minister of economic cooperation and development, Gerd Mueller.
[via The Irish Daily Mail]