9V-SPJ From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 740 posts, RR: 0 Posted (11 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1846 times:
My Aunt and Uncle flew back to ORD yesterday via SFO on UA 152 a B757-200. When they were on finals to ORD, the captain informed them that the landing gear may not have been locked into place. There was supposedly panic in the aircraft as a crash landing may have had to be made. They then circled ORD twice and made a flyby. The control tower said that the gear was down but might not have been locked. They then were vectored to one of ORDs remote runways and made a safe landing. A very close call. They said that there was no foam on the runway, as there normally is when a belly landing may have to be done. Wow! I would never have wanted to be in such a situation!
Heavymetal From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (11 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1795 times:
Probably the most common emergency pilots are drilled for in simulators is gear failure.
A belly landing or even partial gear landing almost certainly would have been relatively safe, as long as proceedures are followed to the 't' (and believe me they are.... when a serious warning light like that goes off in the cockpit, pilots go into what they call 'flying on eggshells' mode.....eveything is checked, rechecked...the crew is in total concentration, constantly 'feeling' their aircraft. Remember, stuck gear are not common occurences for THEM either.)
Look at that F100 in Dallas...if I'm not mistaken, the post-landing starboard main strut failure came as a complete surprise...no warning indicators, nothing...and yet the flight crew not only brought the aircraft to a halt safely, but even kept it on the runway with rudder control. The passengers later deplaned via airstairs, an emergency evac determined to be unneccessary.
Any great flight is a safe, uneventful flight but remember, they say pilots "earn their paychecks" once or twice a year....when all the hours of training, reading and prep work in simulators pays off and the right, crisis-averting decision is made.
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5336 posts, RR: 11 Reply 2, posted (11 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 1750 times:
A gear up landing happens more frequently than many other emergencies. We have had not one but TWO Fokker 100 landings here in Dallas with gear problems in the last couple of months.
They're not as perilous as you might imagine.
The most often failing part is the light bulb or the microswitch that turns on the light bulb when the gear is locked.
Not that there is no danger involved, just not as much as say... a wing blowing off.
D L X From United States of America, joined May 1999, 10554 posts, RR: 53 Reply 4, posted (11 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 1692 times:
Now, here's an interesting question. I know for sure they used to foam the runways. Why did they stop? Waste of time with no real effect?
CX flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6341 posts, RR: 56 Reply 5, posted (11 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 1682 times:
I'd say the most common practised emergency is an engine-failure. I do one of them EVERY time I jump in the sim.....not that an unlocked gear isn't an emergency of course!
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