Dodgy Landings & Go Arounds

robyntmorton

To take the discussion away from the EI fleet topic.

We all have a story of a landing that didn't happen, or that you would rather didn't happen. Those ones that make you ask "what the f**k just happened?" Why not share them here.

My own concerns a go around and a dodgy landing, all in the one flight. September 1998, CityJet, Saab 2000, flying Dublin to London City. 11 year old me down the back. The flight was uneventful, until the approach. All was going well we thought. The approach was steeper than standard, but that's normal for the City approach. What wasn't normal was the landing. We went down... And up! And then down a bit more, by which stage the engines were spooling up again and off we went. You don't have much choice when you bounce down the runway in LCY, unless your planned stopping point is in the Thames Dock.

Attempt 2 came around about 10 minutes later. Again the approach was normal, and the touchdown wasn't. We hit the ground with such force that the undercarriage nearly made it through the wings. The guys up front were making sure it stuck to the runway.

It turns out that it was a trainee doing the first landing for certification purposes, and he messed it. The second was with the chief pilot at the controls.

A couple of days later I was in Farnborough at the airshow, being well taken care of by Saab and Messier Dowty, after praising how well made the aircraft was to survive such punishment.

So, anyone else want to share their stories

Irish Steve

A very long time ago, myself and a couple of friends who are also involved with aviation were at the end of the runway in Sanford, Orlando, as a Monarch DC10 came down the approach. It passed over us, and floated, and floated, and floated, at about 10 Ft above the runway, then suddenly effectively fell out of the sky, to a collective sharp exhalation of breath from the 3 of us. It's the only time I've seen DC10 wings flex downwards so much as they did that day. We subsequently found out that yes, the aircraft had to have a heavy landing inspection before flying the return sector to the UK.

ronnie147

I'v had 1 go around in my life about 2 years ago on a British Airways 747 at Las Vegas because of a sand storm. We had to divert to Ontario airport in Los angeles. Got stuck there for over 2 hours waiting for fuel and could not get off the plane as there was no customs at the airport. We eventually took off again but had to divert to Los Angeles international airport as the weather in Vega hadn't improved. When we landed in Los Angeles there was no gate free so had to wait for another hours. At this stage we had been on the plane for about 15 hours. Got off the plane then had to stand in customs line for 2 hours, then had to take a 1 hour bus journey to the hotel. The next morning we were told that a bus would take us to airport to get a flight to Vegas but never turned up so we decided to share a taxi with some other passengers which took 5 hours and cost $800. Looking back on it now it was a bit of an adventure to say the least!

I'v also had 1 aborted take off on an Aer lingus A321 from Dublin to Faro due to a bird strike.
I have to say its like noting i'v experienced before on a flight. I'm sure it was almost at V1 when it happened so it was fairly abrupt. 2 hours of engineers checking the engines we were able to take off again but not after about 20 passengers refused to take the flight!

CaptainSkidmark

I was landing in a Aeroflot 777-300ER just last week in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and we were delayed 2 hours in Moscow SVO because of the weather here, then we had to circle for 45 minutes and we started heading for Khabarovsk and then came back again, We were heading for the runway and i had never experienced so much crosswinds in an aircraft that size.

Anyway we made 2 go-arounds and finally landed on the 3rd attempt. I did not enjoy it one bit. When we exited the aircraft onto the stairs i was nearly blown off it with the wind, i couldn't believe we had just landed in that wind. It was my first time doing a go-around. i nearly lived up to my username when he fired up the engines the first time!

smurfjed

I was watching a slow moving piston landing yesterday with an A321 racing up behind him, the piston didn't vacate the runway rapidly enough so the 321 did a balked landing from a couple of hundred feet, I'm sure that the passengers were impressed to get a sightseeing spin around the city.
Professionally i have never done a go-around/missed approach that wasn't for training purposes, there are some such as LeBourget that are nasty due to the very low level off height, 1000 feet, which in a high performance jet with all engines operating takes seconds.

EICVD

Can't say I've ever had a landing that was too dodgy. Most exciting one was in November '15, an EI Regional flight from BHX during one of those regular storms. Quite bumpy on approach but that was is it. I think 5 Ryanair's behind all ended up in SNN though.

Terrontress

On the same flight, DUB to LTN, I've had an aborted takeoff and landing.

The emgines were fired up and we started to move along the runway, then they cut out and the brakes came on. Apparently another flight landed over the top of us.

Then approaching Luton the pilot pulled the nose up and went round another time. It felt like zero G.

The captain made some remark before we disembarked to say we got to see the difficulties of dealing with ATC that day.

roundymac

I was on an EI flight from LHR to ORK when on final approach we went around, pilot said they had lost situational awareness as some cloud had rolled in. The other time was an aborted take from Livingston (Kenya) to Jo-bourg. On a 732 we were powering down the runway when we braked hard, stayed there for a couple of minutes then taxied back to the terminal. On the way the wife says "oh, they have a lovely shiney fire engine escorting us back". When we disembarked there was oil pouring out of the right hand engine. Would have been interesting(not) if he had gotten airbourne.

plodder

Go-around happened to me once on a Lufthansa flight into Manchester. We were over the airfield and very close to the threshold. It was quite exciting actually, as it was clear there wasn't anything wrong with the plane, but lots of twists, turns and steep climbing to get back on track. Not a word spoken by anyone until we landed, when the crew explained the previous landing aircraft hadn't cleared the runway. It seemed pretty routine to them actually.

Stovepipe

I was training for my ME-IR in Florida, under the hood, when the Tower ordered me to go around and my instructor added a few effs as well.I went around and heard someone else's propellors. It turned out to be a Japanese student from another school who had got her 09 confused with her 27 and landed at the wrong end, despite me being cleared to land.

LXFlyer

I've had a couple of go-arounds whilst on short finals at Heathrow, when the previous aircraft had not cleared the runway in time.

On one Aer Lingus flight, the cabin manager came on the PA system to announce that (I thought rather unfortunately) our landing had been "cancelled" and that the flight crew would update us shortly - I did think at the time that she could have chosen another word as "cancelled" suggested to me that the flight was now doomed to never land again!

Locker10a

lxflyer wrote: »

I've had a couple of go-arounds whilst on short finals at Heathrow, when the previous aircraft had not cleared the runway in time.

On one Aer Lingus flight, the cabin manager came on the PA system to announce that (I thought rather unfortunately) our landing had been "cancelled" and that the flight crew would update us shortly - I did think at the time that she could have chosen another word as "cancelled" suggested to me that the flight was now doomed to never land again!

She probably assumed clearance to land was cancelled perhaps? But yeah unusual wording

plodder

lxflyer wrote: »

I've had a couple of go-arounds whilst on short finals at Heathrow, when the previous aircraft had not cleared the runway in time.

On one Aer Lingus flight, the cabin manager came on the PA system to announce that (I thought rather unfortunately) our landing had been "cancelled" and that the flight crew would update us shortly - I did think at the time that she could have chosen another word as "cancelled" suggested to me that the flight was now doomed to never land again!

or at the very least, you'll have to rebook and land on a different plane ...

Davidth88

My oddest one was while I was doing my ppl. I did this at leavesdon which is now Harry potter land. Anyway this place had pretentions to be a business airport. The atc used to give priority to anything with 2 engines that looked posh basically. So there I was on my first solo which atc had been informed about.. Nicely set up on approach and a twin wanted to depart ... what happens.... go around from atc to allow the twin which had just taxied up to hold point to depart... I executed the go around ok the landed my instructor was FUMING !!!!!! He went into the office ( before mobiles ) and the language on the phone to the tower was something to behold.... Anyway good fun.

duskyjoe

roundymac wrote: »

I was on an EI flight from LHR to ORK when on final approach we went around, pilot said they had lost situational awareness as some cloud had rolled in.

Yeah right, the pilot actually came on the PA and said they had lost situational awareness ? That's one hell of a porkie.

roundymac

duskyjoe wrote: »

Yeah right, the pilot actually came on the PA and said they had lost situational awareness ? That's one hell of a porkie.

By who , him or me.