Video - A320 nearly crashed during crosswind approach (great, German)

[ColoWeb]

This happened few days ago (Mach 1st) in Hamburg. During a very heavy crosswind an Airbus A320 almost crashed .

Video: LiveLeak.com - Hamburg - A320 nearly crashed during crosswind approach
News Article: Bloomberg.com: Germany

[Magnum Mike]

That's one of the toughest tasks pilots have, and that's landing in strong crosswinds. I'm sure it was a rough landing, but at least they aborted the landing without any catastrophic end results.

[square peg]

Great video - and well, I'm glad not to have witnessed the disaster that may have been. But awfully close! You could see on the approach that the plane looked to be at a sideways angle. These guys must have bitten their nails clean off and said their prayers - a lot.

I saw the remains of an airliner crash one time and, well...

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by square peg

.... You could see on the approach that the plane looked to be at a sideways angle....
...

To adjust for strong crosswinds, all airliners have what's called trim controls, which keep the control surfaces (elevator/horizontal stabilizer, rudder, and ailerons) slightly deflected to compensate for the strong winds pushing the aircraft off the center of the runway, so obviously the aircraft's trim controls and systems were doing everything to keep it centered, even though the wind was pushing it sideways!

It looked like they had a successful touchdown, and deployed the spoilers, but an unexpected, and a very strong gust must have literaly picked the A320 right off the runway by its starboard wing!

They should also have runways with headings in the same direction of the crosswinds for safer approaches, this would have definitely prevented the wing scrape.

[115db]

Yea that definately looked scarey. Ive never encoundered that part but have been on flights where the downpour of rain made me question if we would be able to land safely, thats about the only scarey landing I can recall being on.

[motormaker]

For more cross wind landing, take a look at some of Boeings tests in South America.

Mike, see my note in the hobby forum under flying.

boeing cross wind landing video - Google Search

[square peg]

Thanks for that informative post Magnum Mike.

It looks like the wheels can be angled for touchdown too. Those tires must take tremendous poundings in those types of landings.

Really amazing videos, motormaker!

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by motormaker

For more cross wind landing, take a look at some of Boeings tests in South America.

Mike, see my note in the hobby forum under flying.

boeing cross wind landing video - Google Search

Wow, thanks MotorMaker, I watched the strong crosswind landings of the Boeing 747 and 777. ILS is the only way to go with strong crosswinds like this. It would be insane to try to do a landing in conditions like this using only VFR, even on heavy jetliners like the 747, 767, and the 777.

[ColoWeb]

I am happy that it ended well. However all those videos of landings are really scarry to think off.