A plane from China Southern Airlines landed safely after a severe hail storm wrecked its windshields, thereby blocking the pilots' view and forcing them to fly "blind."

China Southern Airline's Airbus A320 from Guangzhou was bound for Chengdu on Saturday, July 9 when it encountered a hail storm as it attempted to descend towards the southern Chinese city.

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AV Herald reported that the cockpit's windows of Flight CZ2483 have become "basically opaque" with cracked glasses and fist-sized holes to the fuselage, leaving the pilots no choice but to drive using instruments instead of sight.

Other than the windshields, the hailstorm also damaged the edge of the left engine and stripped off paint from the plane's nose. The protective shell covering the aircraft's nose radar was also punctured.

Fortunately, the pilots managed to land the plane, and no injuries were reported. The aircraft landed safely at Chengdu Airport at 7:51 in the evening local time.

Experts warned that if the aircraft's inner protective layer had been destroyed, the plane would have soon lost pressure posing a great risk to the passengers and crew. No details as to how many passengers were on board or at what height was the aircraft hit by hailstones.

Meanwhile, an aviation lawyer said an investigation would be conducted to find out if any human error was involved in the incident. He explained that ground personnel could have cautioned pilots to change the course and avoid the extreme weather. The lawyer also said the crew deserved praise for landing the plane safely, according to South China Morning Post.

China Southern Airlines has officially released a statement on China's Twitter-like Weibo confirming the incident. It also revealed that the affected plane is now parked for repairs, while the scheduled flights for the said aircraft have been transferred to other planes.

TagsChina Southern Airlines, hailstorm, emergency landing