Article

2008-03-03 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Ever woner what it looks like to land a passenger jet in 155mph side winds?

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Posted by gorb 2008-03-03 14:13|| || Front Page|| [11135 views ] Top

#1 Holy crap!

I'm glad I knew beforehand they'd survive; my heart was still in my throat as that plane came in sideways. He ran over some of the runway lights, too, before he was able to take off again.

Damn fine piloting!

(BTW, the AP video wouldn't work for me, but the Rooters one did fine. Had to turn the sound off, though, since I'm at work.)

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-03 14:46|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2008-03-03 14:46|| Front Page Top

#2 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ddb_1204404185

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2008-03-03 15:15|| 2008-03-03 15:15|| Front Page Top

#3 That guy simply isn't as good a pilot as these. But then, he isn't paid to be. But then, they get to do it with empty planes.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-03 15:27|| 2008-03-03 15:27|| Front Page Top

#4 One of the two voices at the end mentioned something about Hosen (pants). I couldn't make it all out, but I can imagine what he was thinking.

Posted by GK 2008-03-03 15:46|| 2008-03-03 15:46|| Front Page Top

#5 Why weren't they flagged off and sent to a less windy airport?

Posted by rjschwarz 2008-03-03 15:57|| 2008-03-03 15:57|| Front Page Top

#6 There are high winds right across northern and central Europe from a deep low pressure system.

Posted by Cherong Gonque5529 2008-03-03 16:04|| 2008-03-03 16:04|| Front Page Top

#7 That was one hell of a crosswind. Looks like he had to dial in about a 30-degree crab angle just to maintain the runway heading.

The pilot's guardian angel should've got "Employee of the Month" and an upgraded parking space for that one.

Posted by Mike 2008-03-03 16:04|| 2008-03-03 16:04|| Front Page Top

#8 Personally, if I was coming in sidewase because of wind I would abort since landing gear usually don't work too well at that angle.

Either way, quick reflexes and a cool head saved the plane and its cargo from a fiery death. Koodos to the pilot.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-03-03 16:17|| 2008-03-03 16:17|| Front Page Top

#9 There is an old adage in aviation that goes something like this: "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one; if you can re-use the airplane, its a great one."

If technology existed that allowed runways to turn into the wind, that would make these type of events a memory.

Posted by USN,Ret. 2008-03-03 16:22|| 2008-03-03 16:22|| Front Page Top

#10 Damn fine piloting!

Nope. Bad damn bad commander. Every plane comes with a detailed book telling between other things the wind speed limits on dry or wet track, front, rear or lateral wind, sustained or gutsy wind. The commander (he is the one who ever takes the strategic decisions even when copilot is piloting (1) ) should not have tried to land and gone to another airport. Period. If Lufthansa is half a serious company by this time he has already been fired.

(1) In order to avoid one of them losing their skills, pilot and copilot alternate at every travel and the other will manage communications with air controllers. But the pilot remains the
boss: he is the one responsible for decisions like
landing in another place and company regulations usually require he pilots himself when wind, visibility are beyond/below certain limits.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-03-03 16:22|| 2008-03-03 16:22|| Front Page Top

#11 Damn fine piloting!

Nope. Bad damn bad commander. Every plane comes with a detailed book telling between other things the wind speed limits on dry or wet track, front, rear or lateral wind, sustained or gutsy wind. The commander (he is the one who ever takes the strategic decisions even when copilot is piloting (1) ) should not have tried to land and gone to another airport. Period. If Lufthansa is half a serious company by this time he has already been fired.

(1) In order to avoid one of them losing their skills, pilot and copilot alternate at every travel and the other will manage communications with air controllers. But the pilot remains the
boss: he is the one responsible for decisions like
landing in another place and company regulations usually require he pilots himself when wind, visibility are beyond/below certain limits.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-03-03 16:24|| 2008-03-03 16:24|| Front Page Top

#12 Yes, the pilot should have aborted, even going to another airport if required. He is responsible for 150 lives and a $50M airplane.

Posted by ed 2008-03-03 16:26|| 2008-03-03 16:26|| Front Page Top

#13 Why weren't they flagged off and sent to a less windy airport?

Landing in crosswinds is done all the time, it's just that this time they got hit by a 150mph gust! Can't predict those yet.

Nimble, or anyone else who knows: Is the wheel angle on the landing gear fixed, or can they angle the wheels to account for the crosswind direction somehow? It seemed like in the video you linked that the wheels were angled.

Can you imagine the beautiful view the passengers have of the runway ahead whilst peering out the side windows? :-)

Posted by gorb 2008-03-03 16:27|| 2008-03-03 16:27|| Front Page Top

#14 By the way: Flying is the second most pleasurable thing in life. The first one is...
nolt sex, landing.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-03-03 16:38|| 2008-03-03 16:38|| Front Page Top

#15 When you're almost sideways on your approach maybe you oughta think about landing somewhere else?

Posted by tu3031 2008-03-03 17:01|| 2008-03-03 17:01|| Front Page Top

#16 This is insane. I do not know what the certified crosswind that this airbus was approved for, but from the crab the plane had on final, to the buffeting the plane took on touchdown, it was very large. Large crosswind component and large gusts. What were reported weather conditions at the time?

Most planes that I know of have fixed main gears. Planes like the B-52 have crabbing mains, as the wingspan is so long that any roll toward the upwind side to compensate for crosswind would result in a groundstrike.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2008-03-03 17:01|| 2008-03-03 17:01|| Front Page Top

#17 Gorb,

I don't know for sure, but I believe the nose wheel is steerable to some extent but not for the purpose you are suggesting, only for low speed taxiing. But I think the landing carriages are not and that is why they do that testing down in Brazil at the world's crosswindiest runway (at a very remote location) to make sure that the tires and carriages can deal with the stresses of such landings.

Look at the quality of those landings, particularly the horizontal control versus today's landing and the skill of those test pilots is apparent. That pilot today was lucky not to lose the airplane. The lawyers will be busy tonight.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-03 17:07|| 2008-03-03 17:07|| Front Page Top

#18 Perhaps instead of runways they should just build a large flat expanse of pavement with a runway length diameter so no matter which direction the wind was coming they could land safely.

Yeah I know land is a premium but Germany has lots of farmland that could be converted. Think fo the children.

Posted by rjschwarz 2008-03-03 17:28|| 2008-03-03 17:28|| Front Page Top

#19 did Halliburton get the pressure washing job of the inside of the plane.

Posted by sinse 2008-03-03 17:41|| 2008-03-03 17:41|| Front Page Top

#20 I don't believe 150mph gust in Hamburg. A gust like that would have flattened buildings throughout the city and would have dominated news everywhere. Not to mention that most airplanes cannot stay on the ground with winds like that. A gust that high would have tossed airplanes around the airport like toys. Probably a 150 KPH (90mph) gust, still a lot of wind but more believable. B-52 landing gear is capable of dealing with 45° crosswind crab, but the airplane can't stay on the ground with winds in excess of 85 knots.

Posted by RWV 2008-03-03 19:21|| 2008-03-03 19:21|| Front Page Top

#21 IANAP (I am not a pilot), but as I understand it, the drill is to approach the runway crabbed - as the pilot was doing - and then at the last instant turn the plane into the direction of the runway. The landing is supposed to be a controlled stall, so you just "fall" onto the runway. Of course getting hit with a 150KPH/90MPH wind at the last second would still be a problem.

Posted by Rambler in California">Rambler in California 2008-03-03 21:59|| 2008-03-03 21:59|| Front Page Top

#22 If you're set up on final in a jumbo and find you have a 40 degree crab, you don't try to set it down, you execute a missed approach. There is no way he was going to land that thing and he shouldn't have tried.

Posted by KBK 2008-03-03 22:28|| 2008-03-03 22:28|| Front Page Top

23:55 Abdominal Snowman
23:23 USMC Reservist
23:18 Eric Jablow
23:05 Abdominal Snowman
23:02 Rambler in California
22:36 tu3031
22:32 tu3031
22:32 Eric Jablow
22:28 Barbara Skolaut
22:28 Steve
22:28 KBK
22:26 Barbara Skolaut
22:23 Eric Jablow
22:20 Eric Jablow
22:08 Punky Threang1071
22:05 Punky Threang1071
22:01 Punky Threang1071
21:59 Rambler in California
21:58 JosephMendiola
21:56 JosephMendiola
21:54 Frank G
21:53 JosephMendiola
21:51 Steve White
21:44 JosephMendiola