"This is your captain speaking..."

[Steve Carlton]

"Please fasten your seatbelts, and thank you for flying Lufthansa." Word is the pilot attempted this landing exceeding crosswind guidelines in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday. Lufthansa got the video off YouTube, but it doesn't look like they can keep a lid on it.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/03/germany.plane/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[Tipstall]

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

Ken

[Tripton]

:icon_eek:

[NoRRmad]

Wow. It looks like he was crabbing into the wind about thirty degrees just before the wheels hit. I'd call that good flying -- except for the decision to attempt a landing in the first place.:eek:

[Capt. Blackadder]

Those wacky Germans! :003:

[jb44]

... I'd call that good flying -- except for the decision to attempt a landing in the first place.:eek:
I agree.. I'm surprised he elected to go around considering the wing may have been damaged on impact.... maybe not enough runway left.

jb

[jamming]

Their gonna have to change the wingtip, and the Pilot is gonna have to change his/hers drawers:104:.

WTF was idiot thinking????? He was all over on the approach, could not hold the centerline. Should have excecuted the go around as he crossed the "fence". Who ever was "not" at the controls should have told the PIC (pilot in command) go around...now!

[Gord]

Well it was certainly a dramatic and welcomed recovery from what could have turned into a disaster. But I can't help but wonder what ground control and the pilot were thinking about even attempting this landing. But then, I am not a pilot so what do I know.

[Tipstall]

I also liked to crab on a crosswind landings until I had my first real strong crosswind. When you kick it over you don't know how much rudder you are going to need or if you have enough. I now use the low wingtip/rudder in high crosswind situations.

Ken

[X-Troller]

I was in the Tower at Tampa in around 88 or 89 when a KrautHauler Three Hole Heavy came in from over the Pond at the wrong time during a Tropical Low 62kts from the WNW no where else to go with the fuel he had landed on 36 Ugly but done well he had the wheels that articulated to the RWY despite his awsome crab into the wind.

[Deans BMW]

I was in the Tower at Tampa in around 88 or 89 when a KrautHauler Three Hole Heavy came in from over the Pond at the wrong time during a Tropical Low 62kts from the WNW no where else to go with the fuel he had landed on 36 Ugly but done well he had the wheels that articulated to the RWY despite his awsome crab into the wind.

Was that Tampa/St Pete? If so, I used to teach flying there at the National Aviation Academy in '68. I bought my '68 BSA Lightning at Barneys, used to drag race at Sunshine Dragway and road raced in Dade City.

Introduced an unbeliveable Red Head to the Mile Hi Club in a Comanche 260B..............Oh Man. :linzi:

[vintagemxr]

Does the Airbus or other jumbos have articulated landing gear?

I once landed a Citabria at Van Nuys Airport in a quartering tailwind and I could relate to the waltz the Airbus was making but the little Citabria wouldn't have made nearly as big a smoking hole if I'd messed it up (worse than I did) and only would have killed one idiot.

[DarthRider]

Introduced an unbeliveable Red Head to the Mile Hi Club in a Comanche 260B..............Oh Man. :linzi:

"Mile High Club"...what's that Dean-O ?

[Gord]

"Mile High Club"...what's that Dean-O ?

I think it is a place in Denver.

[jamming]

I got more info...the crosswind componet was IN EXCESS of 50 MPH! Maybe he was low on fuel...but it was a mistake not to divert to another field.

[Deans BMW]

Does the Airbus or other jumbos have articulated landing gear?

I once landed a Citabria at Van Nuys Airport in a quartering tailwind and I could relate to the waltz the Airbus was making but the little Citabria wouldn't have made nearly as big a smoking hole if I'd messed it up (worse than I did) and only would have killed one idiot.

Remember the old Cessna 195, it had articulated landing gear.

[DarthRider]

Remember the old Cessna 195, it had articulated landing gear.

Dean, was that the model with no wing-struts and a radial engine ?

[Optimus Prime]

I got more info...the crosswind componet was IN EXCESS of 50 MPH! Maybe he was low on fuel...but it was a mistake not to divert to another field.
If he wasn't low before, I bet he was after. I'm sure it took a lot of fuel to power out of the mess he got into. I'm not sure we'll ever get the whole story.

[vintagemxr]

Remember the old Cessna 195, it had articulated landing gear.

I've seen the 195 over the years but didn't know about the landing gear. I believe the B-52 has articulated land gear also.

[Steve Carlton]

From what I've read, that plane was rated for up to 38 knots of crosswind, and the weather report was showing up to 55. At the time of landing, the crosswind was 49 knots and at 70 degrees to the runway. Sounds like amazing negligence to me. On top of that, the plane had a 39 year old Captain and his 24 year old co-pilot was at the controls during the incident. As the captain of the aircraft carrier in Top Gun said, they may be "flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong!"

Anybody read German?
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/vermischtes/2008/03/04/pilotin/hat-vielleicht-den-sturm-jet-gelandet.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads12/Lh+copilot1204655492.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads12/plane1204659930.jpg

[jb44]

Not a great translation (Google Language Tool)

The beautiful Co-Pilot (24) steered the Airbus
Was she about to inexperienced?

Co-pilot J. Maxi (24), the Airbus to land in Hamburg

The dramatic horror approach of the Lufthansa Airbus 044 on LH Hamburg on the previous Saturday (as reported). 137 people narrowly escaped a disaster. Now comes out: The inexperienced co-pilot flew the machine!

Millions saw the dramatic images of the landing. A. pilot Oliver (39) Total seemed to crash in the last minute to prevent, was celebrated as a hero. Quite modestly, he said after the horror landing: "It was a sophisticated approach. “ But through the start we were Lord of the situation. "

Now is the modesty of an experienced pilot, he has been working for 17 years for Lufthansa and it is six years since captain, a meaning. He sat in the disaster-minute not at the wheel!

Why the much more experienced pilot his inexperienced colleague during the approach of hurricane "Emma" allowed is so far unclear.

An employee of the airport, opposite the SHZ "Maxi J. was after Schlitter-landing" also fairly by the wind ".
The accident flight Lufthansa pilots A. Oliver (39) and Large (24) J.

The weather was bad, hurricane "Emma" made a proper approach as good as impossible.

Or was Maxi J. approximately too young, too inexperienced for the job?

BILD.de: "No, certainly not. There is a lot younger. From 21 years of age may co-pilots fly. "Maxis flight was" anything but unusual ".

The expert: "On board a machine is always a captain and a co-pilot. The two share the return flight. This is important to ensure that the co-pilot gathers his experiences. Usually, the co-pilot, who takes over the flight. "It applies only one exception:" If there is poor visibility, the captain over, "said Kirsch For wind in hurricane strength is not the norm.

The young pilot at the wheel of a tumbling aircraft - “ A spokesman tried to relativize: "The whole approach was a team co-led by the pilots."
Maxi J. is a terrifying moment. And eventually they will even be a plane captain - like 70 other women at Lufthansa. Some 230 women are co-pilots - including Maxi J.

From another page:

Apparently the captain was given a choice of runways, and chose the "more windy" one (because it was on an electronic management system).

On the "go around" the pilot landed on the alternate runway.

jb

[Deans BMW]

Dean, was that the model with no wing-struts and a radial engine ?

Yes it was, Dave.

[DarthRider]

Yes it was, Dave.


I thought so...we jumped one a time ot two.
Love those big, round motors !

[X-Troller]

The incident I saw was at TPA we worked the approach control for PIE and 22 other airports in the area. Barney's is still there on Gandy selling Honda,Yamaha,Aprilia,and a shit load of jet ski's.
Another highlight was watching a Delta L10 land in a level 5 thunder storm with lots of gust fronts and wind shear two years after their Dallas debacle no other airline would land.

[Steve Carlton]

Remembered this 777 & 747 crosswind landing video from a while ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljOxo0s33sI

[Rchop]

The incident I saw was at TPA we worked the approach control for PIE and 22 other airports in the area. Barney's is still there on Gandy selling Honda,Yamaha,Aprilia,and a shit load of jet ski's.

Barney's on Gandy, man, does that bring back memories! I used to live on Coquina Key and most of my work was thru Cruising World on Gandy. I opened up a yacht brokerage called Gateway Marine next to the motel on Gandy by the bridge.
Do you live by Isla Del Sol? My so called "office" was a table at the little resturant at the Isla Del Sol shoppers village. I miss the grouper sandwiches at the Hurricane too :)

[Jeff Bohl]

I flew the airbus for United for 2 years before I moved on to the 777 and then the 747. This pilot should have kicked the crab out (lined the nose up with the runway) way before he did.

[Steve Carlton]

How close to a catastrophe do you think that landing attempt was?

I was fairly impressed on how quickly the plane powered up and lifted off again. I'm just amazed both the tower and the pilot opted for that runway with crosswinds exceeding that plane's specifications.

[Jeff Bohl]

On final approach once the airplane is that close to the ground the engines are generally spooled up so that a quick go around can be acomplished. With the crosswind that strong the engines would have been running at a much higher rpm to compensate for the conditions. When I first saw the video I thought that the flying pilot must have been the copilot as you can see the airplane attempt to "kick out the crab" way way to late. Once the crab is removed then inorder to keep the plane flying down the runway you have to lower the upwind wing and then touch down on the wheel that is upwind. I think that the captain took over at the last second and saved it but the captain would be at fault for not taking over sooner. They did some major damage to the plane. A go around should have been accomplished way before the plane got in this situation and another runway used. I hate to second guess because I was not there but it looks like bad judgement to me.