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AIRLINERS

This page was last updated on 10/06/2007

Click here to view the Air Accident Investigation Board's official report.   Click here to view the BBC report of this incident.  Click here to see pix of the plane after it landed.

From a spotter:

"In the Video 737 Engine Fire there is nothing wrong with the engine.  When you install an engine that has been has been in storage "preserved" It has a lot of preservative in the fuel control system. (fuel control, fuel pump, etc.)  That is what you see burning. It is very spectacular to watch, and any time we would install a "preserved" engine we would have a crowd to watch the show. As you can see in the short video the engine is not shut down when the flames appear, as would happen if something were really wrong."

New Info 5/5/07, from Andrew Burfield:

"This Boeing 757-200 of No.40 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, is performing a 350 knot pass at 100 ft, before displaying the 757’s awesome power-to-weight ratio with a 45 degree climb out to 7,500ft. The video was taken at RNZAF Base Whenuapai, Auckland, New Zealand, probably at the 2004 Air Force Open Day."

"This shows FG flight 709, bound from Kabul to Dubai, which left the Kabul Airport with 261 passengers on board.  After departure the pilot had a problem with the front wheel gear and could not retract it.  Instead of proceeding to Dubai Airport (flight time 2:30 minutes), with all relevant security measures he decided to land back at Kabul Airport."

"Capt. Abdul Rahman asked the tower to investigate the problem.  Kabul Airport sent an ICRC plane to investigate the problem from beneath the aircraft.  After the problem was located, the captain released most of all the full tanks of kerosene and made a final approach at Kabul Airport.  At this time there were still about 30,000 mines lying around beside the apron."

"After the plane came off the runway nothing happened, and the fire brigades went to rescue the aircraft and passengers. The plane came to stand about 50 meters beside the runway without any problems.  All passengers escaped the aircraft safely. Capt. Rahman got out of the plane, had a cigarette smoke, and took all the passengers to Dubai in a second plane approximately an hour later.   ISAF than pulled the plane from beside the apron, stretched the wheel straight, and pulled it to the maintenance department."  

Airbus A-380 Crosswind Certification    Watch as the biggest airliner in the world lands in some extreme crosswinds!  (This video is from Iceland.  Anyone care to take a whack at translating the narration into English for us?) 

A Translation, Contributed by Hordur Ingolfsson:

"Hi, saw you wanted translation of the narrative of the A380 video shot in Iceland. This video was shot at Keflavik international airport during “practice” landings.

Here goes the translation:

“Not every day we see the biggest passenger airplane in the world land in Iceland, bla bla bla, but today the Airbus 380 was practicing crosswind test landings at Keflavik Airport. Test conditions were 'ideal', with a steady wind blowing 35 to 45 knots.  After only a short stop, the aircraft went up again for repeated approach and test landings that all ended happily. It was amazing to see how this big aircraft handled took on the elements and such strong wind, weighing at about 5 times more than B757 common in Keflavik airport, or 560.000 kilos.  The A380 can take up to 500-600 passengers, bla bla bla.”

Additional information about this crash, sent in by a viewer:

22 August 1999; China Airlines MD11; Hong Kong, China: This aircraft was landing in Hong Kong at night and during a storm after a flight from Bangkok. The aircraft struck the runway and came to rest upside down and on fire. All 15 crew members survived, but three of the 300 passengers were killed.

Click here to see a picture of the aftermath of this crash.

(Note: This video plays best if you right-click and download it to your own computer -- then play it using RealPlayer.)

(Note: This video plays best if you right-click and download it to your own computer -- then play it using RealPlayer.)

Many viewers have expressed interest in the unique music on this video.  Here is new information, provided by Charlie Hanna:

"The background song with the 'Cross Wind Landings' video is "Return To Innocence" by Enigma, it came out sometime in 2001. I got lucky and stumbled onto it, I love that song."

Info about this music, from Michael McEuen:

"I'm one of the many that love these extraordinary videos, (Cross Wind Landings). I'm also a really big fan of this site. You have went to great lengths to provide a real cool site of aviation videos both good and bad. I noted a update by Charlie Hanna about the music "Return to Innocence." With all due respect to the help Mr. Hanna is trying to offer, he is wrong about the release date of 2001. I do believe his date was referring to the movie "Return to Innocence", which was released in 2001.  It can also be found on the very first "Pure Moods" CD dated 1994. It can be viewed @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Innocence "

New Info 5/4/07, from Eric Schmidt, of the Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, NC:

"I love that video of a DC-3 on a grass strip.  I recognized it right away.  It was built in '42 as a C-47 and sold right after the war as surplus.  It stayed with several companies and then, in the late '70s, was bought by Piedmont Airlines, who had it converted to a DC-3, as seen on the video.  They used it for PR, incentive flights and employee excursions.  Piedmont wanted a DC-3 since that's what they started the airline with.  When US Airways bought them out, of course they didn't want it and put it on the market.  Thanks to the generosity of many people we bought it and still fly it to air shows as shown."

Click here for a link to the fabulous instrumental rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" that accompanies this video!

Click here to view several remarkable, high-res photos of the aftermath of this and another VERY similar landing.  Although Airbus may not make the most reliable nose-gear system in the world, it's certainly TOUGH.

Click here to read expert commentary on this unusual problem.