Strange landing at Dublin

JuliusCaesar

I mentioned this in conversation with a friend who said the aircraft may have been about to ditch :eek:

In the 1980s I was flying home from London (Aer Lingus) and the plane took an approach to the airport I haven't seen before or since. We came in very low over the sea - we could see the wave tops. I thought at the time maybe there was a new runway, didn't realise there was only one, so wasn't particularly perturbed.

Is it true what my friend said?

seamus

In the 1980s is it not more likely that aircraft were being directed to keep themselves below a certain FL due to some kind of military exercise or issue going on?

Accurately eyeballing your altitude over the ocean is very difficult, you can easily discern wave tops from 3000m.

martinsvi

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Is it true what my friend said?

Were the engines running/making a sound? If so, then no, your friend just has a wild imagination. Why would a plane ditch if at least one engine is running?

JuliusCaesar

seamus wrote: »

In the 1980s is it not more likely that aircraft were being directed to keep themselves below a certain FL due to some kind of military exercise or issue going on?

Accurately eyeballing your altitude over the ocean is very difficult, you can easily discern wave tops from 3000m.

I've no idea - just I've never had such a straight-dead-on-to-the-coast low level landing ever before or since. And it'd be a flight I've made on a regular basis. I did seriously wonder if we were going to touch down on the sea but figured as long as nobody else seemed anxious, there was no reason for me to worry.

Military exercises - I'd forgotten about those! Anyone else remember the trawler that was pulled backwards at speed, but the British denied any submarine activity in the Irish Sea?

Skyknight

Just out interest(and I realize(understandably) that all the events might not be clear some 30 years later), at what point did it occur to you that the aircraft was flying at low altitude, and also at what point did you reach landfall? It's possible that it was your first Runway 28 approach, as it was completed in '89.

Anyone else remember the trawler that was pulled backwards at speed, but the British denied any submarine activity in the Irish Sea?

The FV Shargela, which apparently got towed by A RN SSN. The crew was rescued.
There was also an incident involving the Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), on March 13 1986 off the Isle of Man.

EchoIndia

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

I mentioned this in conversation with a friend who said the aircraft may have been about to ditch :eek:

In the 1980s I was flying home from London (Aer Lingus) and the plane took an approach to the airport I haven't seen before or since. We came in very low over the sea - we could see the wave tops. I thought at the time maybe there was a new runway, didn't realise there was only one, so wasn't particularly perturbed.

Is it true what my friend said?

Who knows? But if you bear in mind the standard safety briefing about use of lifejackets etc., in the absence of being reminded about such things one might conclude that your flight was not preparing to ditch - something which tends not to end well unless in very benign conditions and in shallow water.

Gumbo

Maybe the route in had lower buildings at that time.

Van.Bosch

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

I mentioned this in conversation with a friend who said the aircraft may have been about to ditch :eek:

In the 1980s I was flying home from London (Aer Lingus) and the plane took an approach to the airport I haven't seen before or since. We came in very low over the sea - we could see the wave tops. I thought at the time maybe there was a new runway, didn't realise there was only one, so wasn't particularly perturbed.

Is it true what my friend said?

If it was that low, surely your memory would be of flying low once you reached land too? Unless it climbed again and descended again to land

Owryan

Skyknight wrote: »

Anyone else remember the trawler that was pulled backwards at speed, but the British denied any submarine activity in the Irish Sea?

The FV Shargela, which apparently got towed by A RN SSN. The crew was rescued.
There was also an incident involving the Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), on March 13 1986 off the Isle of Man.

Yeah i remember the incident and the furore about it, but i keep thinking there were a couple of such incidents, real or alleged, in a short period of time

jimbis

Going off topic here but some might find it interesting. I was sailing on Hss from Dublin to Holyhead in June 2000, while sitting in my seat very unwell (had chemo that morning) and staring out at the sea I seen a periscope coming straight towards our ship and dive down so close that I couldn't believe there wasn't an impact.
I was second guessing myself because of the drugs I was on untill I looked at my dad who sat there gobsmacked as he'd seen the same thing.
Never heard anyone more about it.
The Kursk sank less than 2 months later and always had me thinking if it was them that passed under us that day not knowing what fate was ahead for them.