Go around: any comments from our resident pilot?

[Guest PasadenaCA]

I was surprised they waited so long to abandon the landing.

[Guest PasadenaCA]

The incident in the video below is just sad beyond words.

[RA1]

Cross wind landings are to some extent more difficult in airliners than in other aircraft because they cannot lower the down wind wing as much as most other aircraft. OTOH, airliner pilots are taught and use the crab into the wind until the last moment and then "kick" the aircraft straight in alignment with the runway. Personally, I use a mixture of both techniques in cross wind landings. It somewhat depends upon the aircraft in use.

Going around is always a useful option and should be employed with the least reason to do so. Extreme cross winds are often a good reason to go around.

The 747 that crashed in Afghanistan seems to have had a sudden and unexpected shift in cargo which upset the balance of the aircraft. Not a good thing.

Some folks seem to neglect to remember that wind is a factor in weather.

Best regards,

RA1

[JKane]

seems to have had a sudden and unexpected shift in cargo which upset the balance

Also bad for ferry boats!

On the original topic, there's also some amazing videos of successful crab landings, I think some aircraft (big transport maybe?) the main gear even rotates quite a bit so it touches down like that, if I recall it straightened before the front wheel touched...

[MsGuy]

If I had been in a window seat, I wouldn't have had to poop again for at least a week.

[RA1]

You are correct. There are several vids of various transport category aircraft dealing with very severe crosswinds. I prefer to think these are "proving" runs by such as Boeing to show that their aircraft can survive such but they are not something I would think is "everyday".

The more common and "approved" technique for smaller aircraft is to lower the upwind wing to stop the drift across the runway (caused by the cross wind) and then land while going straight ahead. This minimizes wear and tear on the tires and the aircraft itself. But, it is only marginally approved on larger aircraft because their wings will strike the ground when the necessity of lowering them is very much.

Therefore, larger aircraft crab into the wind making their progress in line with the runway but not aligned with it. When it comes time to land the pilot flying "kicks" the nose to align the aircraft with the runway. This must be done at the last minute because after doing so the aircraft is now not flying down the runway but merely aligned with it. The touchdown must ensue shortly or the aircraft will drift off the downwind side of the runway.

Best regards,

RA1