Jaw-dropping pictures show what hailstones can do to your aircraft

If there's a modern definition of hero, airplane pilots should definitely be included.

Take Alexander Akopov, the Ukrainian captain whose Cyprus-bound aircraft carrying 127 people was battered by a epic hailstorm just 10 minutes after take-off from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.

Golfball-sized hailstones damaged the A320's nose, shattering the windscreen and leaving the pilots unable to see from the forward window.

Akopov then took the difficult decision to turn the plane around and gained permission to land at Ataturk, despite the airport being closed to other flights.

Dramatic videos posted on social media showed the aircraft taking a side-slipping approach into landing:

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A Facebook video featured employees at the airport saying, "It won't be able to land, it won't land":

As noted by some people on Twitter, the pilot's view was not completely blind as the side window was clear and the captain could still have some forward view.

After landing, Akopov told local media: "I have been flying for 30 years."

"Did you see the plane landing? Was it okay? The passengers are alive. It is normal. This is our professional reliability."

"Our locator did not show this weather disaster, this is why it happened."

"It was hard, but the main thing is that people are alive."

He was awarded the Ukrainian "Order for Courage" by President Petro Poroshenko.