Posted on 04/23/2014 5:02:51 AM PDT by Gamecock
Full Title: El Al pilots forget to lower wheels on Heathrow landing
Passenger jet averts disaster just 250 meters above runway when alarm alerts cockpit that landing gear not deployed
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An El Al passenger jet came close to dangerously belly-flopping onto a runway recently after its pilots forgot to lower the plane’s landing gear.
The incident took place as the 737 jet was preparing to land at London’s Heathrow Airport last month, according to reports released Thursday.
As the plane descended to a height of about 250 meters above the runway a safety alarm went off in the cockpit indicating to the pilots that they had forgotten to lower the landing gear.
The crew quickly pulled up into a climb, lowered the wheels, and then came around again to make their landing. The passengers were not informed that anything unusual had happened during the maneuver.
El Al said that the incident was under investigation with the chief accident investigator of the Transportation Ministry.
According to a report in news site Nana 10, the wheels of the plane were supposed to be lowered at a distance of six miles from the runway, and a further two checks should have been carried out to make sure that the landing gear was deployed. However, the plane was just two miles from touchdown and at a low altitude before the alarm caught the pilots’ attention.
Haaretz reported that one of the pilots involved was sent to complete a training course as well as testing on a simulator
I wonder what the audible warning sounded like?
Here’s one option:
“what are you, meshuginah? put the gear down, schmuck! oi vey, like I told your father you should’ve gone to medical school”
CC
Like that country song: "allah take the yoke."
He was six miles out...seems like plenty of time to drop ‘em and land. I guess they needed extra time to go through the entire checklist to see what else they forgot. “Flaps? Oh crap!”
There is a saying among pilots about landing wheels up. “There are those that have and those that will.” Unfortunaly I am among those that have. Many years ago as a teenager I landed my dad’s Bonanza wheels up. The positive thing about it is that is a lesson learned.
Better chance of that with Emirates or Etihad.
The pilot was heard later saying
“wheels are for p*ssies”.
Now arriving at Gate 10.......Gate 11......Gate 12.......Gate 13.........
Now arriving at Gate 10.......Gate 11......Gate 12.......Gate 13.........
Airline regulations REQUIRE the aircraft to be properly configured on a stabilized approach. They probably could have salvaged the landing, but that’s not how it’s done. Not properly configured means doing a lot of last second power and trim adjustments when on short final = not stabilized = go around.
I’m surprised they didn’t notice the airspeed was out of kilter long before that point.
Must have forgotten to read out the checklist too. Landing gear is part of that.
that's why they make checklists... damn
3 green , no red ... continue and remind yourself to follow the checklist next time..
Even Muslim pilots seem to understand the need for putting down the gear before landing.
One pilot in the cockpit and that would not happen
Perhaps that’s the day he missed!
I had a Mooney M20E that had a gear up landing in its history. The engine got re-man’ed, and the belly skin was replaced with a composite LoPresti Speed Mod. I didn’t own it at the time...she was located in Yankee-ville, PA.
When I advertised to sell, I told of the damage history, and the speed mod...I got 10k more than was paid...not shabby;-)
Yep. There are two kinds of pilots: those who have landed wheels-up, and those who haven't-- yet. :-)
All in all, I'd say this was a successful event. The alarms did what they were supposed to do. A pilot error was detected in time and a disaster was avoided. A pretty good day, that.
I came close once in a light twin instructing a student. We were doing multiple traffic patterns practicing single-engine ops, when the tower told us to check our gear on short final. I raised an eyebrow at the student as if I had known all along. Later when we returned to our home airport it hit me like a ton of bricks. I grounded myself for a few days afterwards. Spooky how easily that can happen.
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