Bad Landings

[Typhoon1244]

We've all made 'em, right? I've had a few I wasn't very proud of...bounced a Brasilia once. And the CRJ has a tendency to let you think it's going to be a real greaser, then settle in with a firm thud.

But this past Sunday, I made the worst landing of my career...so far. They say "confession is good for the soul," so I thought I'd tell you about it.

The left thrust reverser was deferred, which means its arming switch should remain off throughout the flight. We were on very short final--about eighty feet AGL--when it suddenly occured to me that I hadn't included "...and don't arm the left TR..." as part of my approach briefing. I looked down at the pedestal, and sure enough, both TR's were armed. (No biggie, since it'd been mechanically and electronically inhibited as part of the deferral.)

I don't know how long I looked down at the switch, but it was just long enough for an...impressive sink rate to establish itself. The GPWS mocked me: "fiftyfortythirtytwentyten." I got the back-pressure back in, and kept the nose gear from hitting first, but we hit on the mains like a dump truck. (Thank god for trailing-link landing gear!)

My stunned CRJ rebounded into the air and hung five feet over the runway, waiting for me to make the next move. I had just enough time to think "wow, that was embarassing...at least I can salvage the bounce."

That was when the spoilers popped out.

Whump!

(At least it didn't bounce any more...)

Of course, our flight attendant asked later, "wow, who made that landing?" Sure...she didn't ask about the one I'd made the previous leg that you couldn't even feel!

Okay, I'm done. Anyone else got a horrendous landing story? (If you like, you can tell us about the one "this guy you know" made. )

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
When I was working on my CFI I made the worst landing I've made since I was a pre-solo student. I was intently demonstrating the correct procedures and chit-chatting away to "Dilbert" (my instructor). And I ommitted one VERY important little detail...demonstrating a proper roundout/flare! I basically just drove that poor 172 onto the runway in a flat attitude in my best imitation of a carrier landing. A couple of bounces later it was mercifully over and I red-faced continued the touch-and-go. My instructor tried to put a good spin on it by saying that was one of the best demonstrations of, "what not to do" and "too bad we didn't have someone videotape it! We both laughed...

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead

 

[jergar999]

I can't imagine what you guys are talking about. I have never even felt the wheels touch. Well, maybe once or twice. What's worse is we always fly with the same people in the back, so you can make 100 good landings, land firmy once, and the peanut gallery wants to know where you bought your license.

 

[empenage]

That's nothing....

I arrived so hard at IAD one time in a GIV that I had to see a dentist the next day. The guy in the right seat threw his arms up in front of his face! (for protection he said). I asked him why he didnt say anything before we hit. He said he was in shock.

I tell anyone who flys with me to tell me if you see me doing anything stupid, you cant hurt my feelings. If I'm not listening, whack me in the head with a 2X4!

 

[FN FAL]

The wife and I were landing in PWK once in the C-320 on the south bound runway. We were on our way to dropping off a 182 prop, that one of our skydiver driver checkout pilots had bent on a porpoised landing. The tower had told us to land and hold short of one of the crossing runways (the one to the south that faces west) and of course I accepted that clearance.

Well, it was pretty gusty that day and the wind caught my wings and caused me to float, then we chopped power, then we caught a gust, then powered up again and then we blew past the hold short, then I got the plane settled down, flared and landed then the right engine quit. So they had a lear behind me get the go around call and I got a tower bbitching out about the LAHSO.

It was then I realized that full mixture and props on final, was for planes that didn't bog down and stutter when you put the mixture full.

 

[350DRIVER]

In my past life while flying a CJ1 going into a short uncontrolled strip with Jim Kelly onboard I smacked one down nicely. Priority was to get it down as quickly as possible since it had no reverse and only ground flaps & the rwy sloped nicely going down hill. Was not a very pretty landing to say the least.

3 5 0

>> Must not have been too too bad since he gave me two tickets for a Bills game for the following week.

 

[mainah]

Was doing a flight with a student in his Cessna and the student had a horrible landing. No wind correction and just a horrible slam into the runway. So I took the next landing expecting to really impress him and show him I knew what I was doing. WRONG! The worst **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** landing I've ever had. Slammed the plane into the runway and thought I'd probably had damaged the gear or belly. Luckily no damage to aircraft, only my ego.

 

[mainah]

Can't even say D.A.M.N. without a censor.

 

[mainah]

Football, was the quarterback of the Bills.

 

[350DRIVER]

who is jim kelly --350 is he some one famous

He was the QB that could never win a super bowl with the Buffalo Bills. Pretty good hall of fame QB though.


3 5 0

 

[FL240]

"Had a landing a few days ago though that prompted this Mom getting off to say, "That was the best landing I've ever experienced in one of these little planes!" Whoop!"

Thats funny!

 

[navigator72]

Lots of bad landings

I was a newly minted private pilot and I figured I would take this really hot girl from work flying. Everything was set for our flight of fun and hopefully passion later. We took off in a C172 and toured over the city and along the coastline. After an hour or so I figured It was time to go back to the airport. We were cleared to land on runway 18. I was on about a 2 mile final and kind of high and fast, so I do what every newly minted pilot would do. I push the nose over and dive for the runway to get to a more respectable altitude. Upon reaching the runway threshhold we were cruising at about 120kts. We hit the runway pretty hard and porpoised back into the air. I pushed the nose down to get back to the runway and we hit again. This time I was only doing 110kts, we proceeded to hit the runway and porpoise at least 5 more times, each time losing a few knots of speed. With all of my awesome flying skills I finally managed to keep the plane on the runway, 3/4 of the way down the 6800' runway. I'm sure the controllers had their hands on the red emergency phone just waiting for the crash.
There never was any passion with the girl but at least she didn't tell our co-workers about the landing.

 

[Vector4fun]

My landings are all good, It's the takeoffs that are sometimes riveting.....

However, I recall a trip into DCA one evening, I was in the jumpseat of an MD-80. It's dark, cold, raining, we're doing the ILS to Rwy 1, and the wind is "180 at 9 kts". Yeah, ain't it always! So I'm pretty attentive as we cruise down final, and I waited for the flare, he's gotta flare, whew, my depth perception must be off, HOLY SMOKE!

WHAMMM

(sounds of a few shreiks and a couple overheads springing open)

Captain gets on the reversers and brakes, and I can see the water approaching rapidly. Whoaaa big fella, and we turn off about 20' short of the end. As we reach the taxiway, Capt turns around to to me and says:

"We hit a bit harder than I intended But NOT MUCH!

'Sokay I understood COMPLETELY!

 

[88_MALIBU]

I was just gonna post a similar thread except on your favorite landings.

I was flying in the Malibu today in 29 kt winds about 65 degrees off the nose and just love those X winds! I used to be scared to death of them, but something about riding down the runway like Bob Hoover on one wheel has me hooked. Nothing better than feeling of a good landing after a gusty X wind

 

[jetexas]

One of the worst landings I ever made with direct witnesses (pasengers), was the first one I ever made in the ATR 72. The flight attendant told me the landing was so hard he was converting to Catholicism.

 

[great cornholio]

As all of us up here in the Northeast know its been pretty windy up here for about the past month or so. Anyways one day I saw a CRJ land on the nose wheel in LGA. No flare at all...doh. Then a few days later it was still windy. LGA always has crazy x-winds just wasnt strong enough to take them down to a 1 runway op yet. Anyways it was the capts leg and he actually had a nice flare going and then one of the props came off the governer about 6 inches off the ground and we hit with like a 30 degree crab...doh. Then of course everyonce in a while you know mx has to mess with you and make those wheels a foot or so shorter than normal so you think your gonna have a nice one only to fall out of the sky.

 

[dav8or]

It's only a bad landing if you're swimming or they can't use the aircraft again.

 

[ibaflyer]

While I have also had my share of bad landings, I have one that does stick out in my mind.

I own a PA32 RT300 (T-Tail Lance) and I had a good friend that flew 757/767s for TWA and American with me. Well he wanted to do some landings in the plane so I get in the right seat and he in the left and we go out to do some take-offs and landings. He would always flare about 50 feet too high and I would have to push forward on the controlls to get us lower but he would eventually end up droping it on the mains with a resounding THUD!

After a few of these, I said that I wanted to show him how to do this, so I take the controls, fly the pattern, come down final and proceed to make one of the worst landings in my life. Droped it in from about 5 feet. It was so bad, that he looks at me and says " I think that you set ELT's off in other planes with that one; A$$HOLE!"

 

[Astra Guy]

Some years ago I flew with a buddy of mine who had just bought a C-120. He didn't have 50 hours of tail dragger time and had to have someone with him to meet the minimums. Anyway he asked if I wanted to fly to Sun'nFun with him in Lakeland. I bit and we flew the thing for about 5 hours from north of Atlanta. Trucks were faster than we were on I-75. We alternated legs...four of them. He made the landing at Lakeland, by design. Of course for this show there is so much traffic that there are no radio calls. Flying in one just listens to get sequenced in. Eventually we were on final to this 8,000' runway. My buddy flared the airplane at 50' and then again at 10' and eventually we touched down but by that time so far down the runway that the FAA flagman at the end bailed out of his position. We did make the last taxiway off.

 

[English]

This brings back memories...

I had just returned from a two week trip in a C310 flying to Oshkosh and doing some sightseeing across the country. I was "building flight time" in anticipation of going to a regional airline. I took my special someone flying to Catalina in the airplane I owned at the time, a Cessna Hawk XP.

I'd been to Catalina on many occasions, including having given checkouts to students. But I was a little cocky this day, feeling like a big shot pilot because I had just flown all over the country in a twin (ooooh!). I slammed my poor little airplane so hard into that runway I thought I might have made a new pothole. My attempt to go-around was effortless as the resulting bounce threw me way up into the air. I went around and got humble real quick. Needless to say, I bought the buffalo burger at lunch.