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Lufthansa Landing Attempt Caught on Video

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GG Staff | 03/04/2008 - 08:55 | 4 comments

Plane's wing grazes runway before pilot aborts landing

If you're an window-seat kinda gal, this is one flight you can be thankful you weren't on. On Saturday, a flight from Munich to Hamburg with 137 passengers on board took a turn for the terrifying when high winds tipped the plane, scraping the left wing along the runway.

The Cost of FlyingScary Landing AttemptAmateur video shows the plane approaching the tarmac, wobbling from side to side and finally scarping along the runway. The pilot managed to stabilize the plane and come around again for a second landing attempt. He succeeded and the plane landed safely - no injuries.

"As we were about to touchdown, a gust of wind pressed the left wing towards the ground," the 39-yearold German pilot in a statement on CNN News.

"We pulled up immediately. A maneuver we practice in training very often."

That's one hell of a pilot if you ask us. After watching the video, we're absolutely certain if we'd been on that plane, we'd have to change our underwear afterwards.

"It's extreme - I haven't yet seen anything like that at a German airport, the pilot was a real hero," said Axel Raab, a spokesperson for German Flight Safety.

Airline spokesman, Wolfgang Weber, said a fin on the left wing scraped the tarmac but damage to the plane was minimal and not structural. He said the plane is already back in service.

Have you ever been on a flight that left you shaking like a leaf? Did it affect how, when or even if you'd fly again?

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Comments

Mike: Sings of crosswind as

Submitted by Andreas (not verified) on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 20:26.
Mike: Sings of crosswind as a reason not to try a landing approach? Are you saying there should be no more crosswind landings? Thats quite a change in policy, isn't it? There where hundreds, if not thousands of crosswind landings in Europe that day. Several of them had to do more than one approach. And there is no way for the pilot to anticipate the conditions on the ground. Thats the towers' job.

Hero? He had all of the

Submitted by Mike (not verified) on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 10:10.
Hero? He had all of the classic signs of a nasty crosswind and possible wind shear but continued the approach in an Airbus, an airplane that will not allow you to over ride the automatic controls. Hero? I say Idiot who should have his license revoked until he gets remedial training. European JAA puts all their emphasis on book work instead of flying. No wonder the planes are made to do everything by themselves. If it aint a Boeing, I aint going. And if it's a JAA pilot, I may sit that one out too.

"Not allow you to over ride

Submitted by F9Mech... (not verified) on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 00:04.
"Not allow you to over ride the controls"....There is nothing wrong with Airbus'.... get a freaking clue you non-aviation educated fool.... All aircraft, Airbus included, have autopilot disconnects and TOGA modes... I know this cause I've worked on both type of airframes, Boeing and Airbus. This was strictly pilot ego here. Idiot yes, license revoked no, reprimanded yes. The systems in both Boeing and Airbus are similar. They are all high end avionics systems, which include autopilot. In an Airbus, at least ours, There is an Auto Land mode that you use to fly into CATIIIB visibility. I was recently up front on an auto land; it landed better than most pilots. So don’t knock what you don’t know about. Get the facts before you bash. Yours truly, A 14 year veteran avionics technician...

I have been flying for a

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 18:27.
I have been flying for a living for 31 years, and I agree wholeheartedly! The guy was a moron for attempting the landing. He needs more training on basic airmanship, and both guys need some serious CRM, 'cause the FO let it happen.

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