Pilot praised for quickly stabilizing German jet caught in storm

[Billnew]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-03-04-lufthansa-jet_N.htm

Airline spokesman Wolfgang Weber said the plane was traveling at 155 mph when it was rocked by wind during its landing attempt.

I saw the video, the pilot should have aborted the landing way before he was over airport property.

The jet rotated to about 2 oclock as it went over the fence of the airport, and never straightened out, the pilot pulled the plane out and saved the lives of all on board, but he put all on board in jeopardy by waiting to long to abort the landing.
other pilots have said the wind was to strong to land in,
anyway.

So praise the pilots luck, not his skill. Nothing but luck kept that wing from catching on the runway and cartwheeling down the runway.

It is a great video though.

I remember when I saw this, the reporter asked:
What would be going through your mind in a time like that?
my response:
I know what would be going through my pants,

 

[Billnew]

Just reread the story,
Even more scary, the plane whos wing drug the ground,
was back in service the next DAY!

 

[Macano]

I would not have attempted to land in such conditions unless it were the best option, ie about to run out of fuel, catastrophic fire, bar was about to close, etc. I've read several articles on this incident, and none explain why they were attempting to land in such conditions. Who knows, maybe the crew was fatigued and therefore their judgment was shot. Maybe the official weather report didn't show the winds as being as high as they actually were at the time of the landing (very common if a front is nearby and the winds are gusty.) Wind shear was most certainly present also.

I'd be very interested to hear if other planes were making it in ok in the same time frame or what other factors may have been involved in their decision to land. There are so many possible variables. Great video by the way.

Edit:
Perfectly timed photo:
http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=536882887&filename=phpOltUWB.jpg

DOH!

 

[BlackAndy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4OxGkmvPng

 

[fuzzymel]

Its scarey how close it was to disaster. I suppose if control tower said it was safe to land then it makes sense the pilot would attempt it.

 

[pgp_protector]

I bet there were a few requiring changes that day.

 

[Caitlin.ann]

Wow, that was definitely scary. I'm confused though..if he was coming in for landing, then why did he go back up again?

 

[BlackAndy]

Wow, that was definitely scary. I'm confused though..if he was coming in for landing, then why did he go back up again?

...because that landing was about to become a crash.

 

[Caitlin.ann]

Oh..I guess I wasn't watching closely enough? It looked fine to me at the end before he started going up. Thanks for answering.

 

[wiggsfly]

Its scarey how close it was to disaster. I suppose if control tower said it was safe to land then it makes sense the pilot would attempt it.

Not true at all. The pilot is responsible for the safe operation of the flight and has the responsibility to decline any instructions from ATC that would jeopardize that safety.

When I was an airline captain I more than once had to deny an instruction that would have taking me right into the side of a volcano.

 

[wiggsfly]

Although I wasn't there, it would seem to me that unless that wind suddenly came out of no where that the pilot should be fired for even attempting the approach. I've had to divert to alternate airports when the weather was bad myself as the safety on the people on the place is paramount.

 

[pgp_protector]

Not true at all. The pilot is responsible for the safe operation of the flight and has the responsibility to decline any instructions from ATC that would jeopardize that safety.

When I was an airline captain I more than once had to deny an instruction that would have taking me right into the side of a volcano.

wiggsfly vs the Volcano ?

 

[revolutio]

Pretty steep winds but he looked in control until he got close to the ground. Landing a plane with the nose at an angle isn't uncommon though this looked pretty extreme. He looks like he aborts the landing as soon as that cross-wind hits him.

Excellent flying on his part.

 

[MsAnne]

Call it bad judgment, bad call, whatever....
By the time the pilot was IN the situation, it was a little late to second guess. At that point, I think he did an amazing job.
People are sure quick to throw someone under the bus (or plane in this instance) without knowing all of the details. We weren't there. We don't know what all led up to the decision to land.

 

[Billnew]

Some one said on the radio:

a good pilot doesn't get into situations that takes a great pilot to get out of.

The winds weren't calm with a sudden gust, they were
blowing hard. And probably the tower should get the blame for not turning the plane away. But he was dancing around going over the airport fence.(where the cameraman was)