Breaking News Virgin 747-400 landing gear problem

knucklehead6

Virgin Airway flight 43 currently circling over South East england with landing gear issue. Apparently one of the main gear bogies has hung up and also nose gear

L1011

Saw a photo on a non-av site (football forum for a local club) where all wheels *look* down but there gear doors are all open - although on closer inspection it looks like the set closest to the camera may not be down fully

Growler!!!

L1011 wrote: »

Saw a photo on a non-av site (football forum for a local club) where all wheels *look* down but there gear doors are all open.

Saw one on the fr24 thread. All the wheels don't look down:(

Doors will remain open if gear is not in the correct position.

knucklehead6

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93606680&postcount=8665

Joe 90

Just back from West Sussex and drove past Gatwick. Saw an aircraft overshoot, I assume that was the one. This would have been at about 12:30.

adam88

Anyway of hearing the atc for this

moleyv

if it was USA they would show the landing live. Better than anything else on TV.

They are in sky news saying there are various techniques to land. One of which is a special type of foam to slow the plane down quicker. Let's hope it all goes well. They will attempt landing at Gatwick

L1011

adam88 wrote: »

Anyway of hearing the atc for this

Not legally, unfortunately, so there's probably no streams anywhere.

The left hand gear is definitely out of position in that other pic - Sky News are convinced the nose gear isn't locked either, they're in a position to hear the ATC though so that could be the case.

Sclosages

Why would they have the landing gear down if they were only after taking off?

billy few mates

Deja vu...?

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19971105-1

if it was USA they would show the landing live. Better than anything else on TV

Not just the USA..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NprTbTVl1Uk

knucklehead6

Sclosages wrote: »

Why would they have the landing gear down if they were only after taking off?

Trying to burn fuel, to lighten the plane as much as they can

Growler!!!

Sclosages wrote: »

Why would they have the landing gear down if they were only after taking off?

The gear may not have come up completely after take off.

fits

Crikey, that does not look good.
Good luck to them.

Orion

Looks like it's heading towards the airport now:

http://www.flightradar24.com/VIR43E/526ac78

L1011

Sclosages wrote: »

Why would they have the landing gear down if they were only after taking off?

If it didn't retract properly they would cycle it to see if it comes down / retracts properly a second time.

Now, there's two issues - one is that flying in an unclean config burns fuel but the other one is that they currently have *most* of the wheels down and if they bring the gear up (if they can), they may end up with less next time.

moleyv

I know they are trying to burn fuel but I dont see them waiting until loss of light

highlydebased

They are showing this image on Sky News- nose gear looks to be locked
https://twitter.com/atcfrase/status/549580366898814977

highlydebased

Here's another pic. It's on finals now at LGW.
https://twitter.com/SamPilcher/status/549583356011479040/photo/1

knucklehead6

Looks like she's down safely, sky news have a video from Gatwick. And fr24 shows no movement

artanevilla

Safe landing it seems.

L1011

Sky News coverage of this is BLOODY DREADFUL. Experts who know less than my mother in some cases, everything late etc.

Cessna_Pilot

Thanks be to God it's down. Well done to all involved.

wretcheddomain

knucklehead6 wrote: »

Looks like she's down safely, sky news have a video from Garrick.

Yeah, surprised they didn't take it from Standingstead, or Looting.

knucklehead6

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Yeah, surprised they didn't take it from Standingstead, or Looting.

Damn auto correct!! Hahahaha.

velo.2010

Looks like she's lying over on the right hand engines!. For all the coverage, Sky actually missed the landing even with a camera crew present...

Growler!!!

velo.2010 wrote: »

Looks like she's lying over on the right hand engines!. For all the coverage, Sky actually missed the landing even with a camera crew present...

I suspect we'll see the actual landing later on. Don't want to see a disaster live now do we!

knucklehead6

velo.2010 wrote: »

Looks like she's lying over on the right hand engines!. For all the coverage, Sky actually missed the landing even with a camera crew present...

I'd say they had a team recording it but didn't want to show it landing, just in case there was a crash. Or maybe I'm being incredibly naive!!

greenman09

Im sure there's a video somewhere. Sky slept in there

irishgeo

Any pictures?

bodhi085

I'm surprised Kay burley isn't all over this at gatwick grabbing witnesses on the ground asking them what they saw and experienced.

wretcheddomain

bodhi085 wrote: »

I'm surprised Kay burley isn't all over this at gatwick grabbing witnesses on the ground asking them what they saw and experienced.

She's already on the plane, that's why.

bodhi085

wretcheddomain wrote: »

She's already on the plane, that's why.

Winched in on the "Sky copter" with ipad in hand no doubt.

velo.2010

BBC showed the landing just there from their own chopper. Sky missed it completely.... I bet they're disgusted. The pilot bounced it fairly hard on the initial touch down to perhaps try and budge the gear down for the full landing.


Anyway, it does look like its leaning over to the right.

jimbis

It doesn't appear to be sitting at an angle, was it possible to keep the engines off the ground?

Sclosages

So presumably the landing gear didn't go back up after take-off is it? Or would some alert have gone off prompting them to try to put the landing gear down?

Preset No.3

Drama over, we await the Daily Mail headlines!

This is where all the non regular A&A posters move back to After Hours... :P

donvito99

So it would appear that they had to land it on 3/4 of the main gear?

IamtheWalrus

And I've only recently gotten over my fear of flying :eek:

HighLine

The daily trash has a video of the landing and some clearer images here..... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2890093/Virgin-Boeing-747-flight-Gatwick-Las-Vegas-returns-airport-landing-gear-fault.html

Hydraulic failure, gear doors hanging open.

billie1b

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Drama over, we await the Daily Mail headlines!

This is where all the non regular A&A posters move back to After Hours... :P

Jack1985

Virgin only have a single pilot on their B744's? Who would have known. Thanks DM.

Bsal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoWS_SHe4gU

Vito Andolini

What happens with the plane after this? Will it be repaired and but back into service? Or scrapped?

Vito Andolini

Vito Andolini wrote: »

What happens with the plane after this? Will it be repaired and but back into service? Or scrapped?

Problem that caused this will be identified and fixed, probably back in service in next 48 hours, certainly not scrapped.

Savman

That is one seriously skilled landing.

Jack1985

Another angle of the landing from the end of 08R/26L.

FWVT

I like when Sky News were talking to the BA 747 pilot after it landed and the presenter was desperately trying to get him to build it into a major terror, but yer man was having none of it and said they did what they were trained to do and it's not as big a deal as it may seem.

sjb25

FWVT wrote: »

I like when Sky News were talking to the BA 747 pilot after it landed and the presenter was desperately trying to get him to build it into a major terror, but yer man was having none of it and said they did what they were trained to do and it's not as big a deal as it may seem.

Ya I no presenter was short of kicking him under the table

Stheno

Can anyone explain why there were so many emergency vehicles involved after the plane landed?

Are there regulations requiring a minimum level of responders?

sjb25

Bsal wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoWS_SHe4gU

Great landing