A famous pilot saying is “Every take-off is optional. Every landing is mandatory.” We’re paying tribute to the incredible skills of pilots around the world with this collection of 5 great emergency landings. The featured image is by woodleywonderworks.
Passenger jet lands with no wheels – Warsaw
If you ever needed a demonstration of the capabilities of the modern airline pilot, this is it. A Boeing 767 from Newark en route to Moscow makes an emergency landing in Warsaw after its landing gear failed to open. It’s remarkable how smoothly the large passenger jet glides on its belly on the foam-doused runway.
Gear fails to deploy on corporate jet – Las Vegas
The pilot of this corporate jet shows similar skill in landing his plane without any wheels. This incident is made all the more dramatic by the jet fuel leaking from the plane as it scrapes across the asphalt. There’s a mini-explosion as the plane finally comes to rest – reason enough for everyone on board to scurry away quickly.
Belly landing
This is what it’s like to be onboard a propeller plane that has to make a belly landing.
Engine out landing on road – Florida
A little irony here, as a flight instructor giving a lesson on emergency landings has to make one for real. After the engine fails on their propeller-trainer, the instructor and his student wrestle their light aircraft into a position to land on a public highway. Their relief is palpable.
Fire tanker with left side landing gear failure – Nevada
This air tanker was built to assist in emergencies, not to be one. The plane, which is designed to hold large quantities of wildfire fighting liquids, makes a successful if not slightly ugly return to terra firma.
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