Landings...

[Birddog]

The worst ever would have to be when I was getting my multi rating. The instructor had me doing short field landings over the hypothetical 50' obstical on the threshhold and one engine "failed" . I learned that the Seminole will develop a fairly healthy sink rate in that situation. If the instructor hadn't pushed the throttles up, I am sure the struts would have come through the wings. Aside from the bottomed out struts, we couldn't find any damage, but my back was sore the next morning. When I was getting my tailwheel, there were some scary moments, but none like that one.

 

[bigD]

Awww crap AWA...that'll teach me to open my mouth without thinking!

 

[Broke in CVG]

A good landing is one you can walk away from....

A GREAT LANDING is one where you can use the plane again.

 

[justApilot]

I remember landing a 55 in FXE one night, I think we were positioning the plane for the next day or it was going in for some interior work. Anyway...I kid you not...I landed...popped the T/R's...Well, I guess one of the cabinets, just behind the cockpit was not locked. Next thing I know as I am applying the brakes, a beer flies into the cockpit, hits the center console and ends up (unbroken) in my lap. That was the best.

And....Anyone that has flown the Westwind has probably dropped the masks on a real ugly landing atleast once.

I remember rotating in a 35 I think it was and the instrument panel basically fell into my knees. Oops.

 

[kilomike]

I remember landing at night with a steeply downsloping runway and THUNK! Embarrassing but not as bad as what I'd heard. One time years ago when I was a student I porpoised a good ways but then pulled back the stick and the porpoise stopped. We all have had landings that we are not proud of.

My friend Bill was telling me he was a passenger on a major airline (no names--I don't want to embarrass the innocent!) that landed so hard that his back hurt and he had to go to the chiropractor the next day. YOUCH!!

kilomike

 

[ShawnC]

Airliners... Don't get me started

You know you hear all those classic quotes on the net about what the FAs say. Well I actually heard one:

This is many years about (I was about ten or so), I was flying to San Jose (layover, of all places) in a 727 or a MD-80 series aircraft. During the landing we just slammed on to the runway. You know how the FAs come up and ramble after landing, well this one started out "We have just bombed San Jose, the time is..."

Those were the days flying every month going one parent to another, spending hours at the windows staring at planes, or a wing. I wonder why I started flying...

 

[prodigal]

focus

This Feb . . . 30G35, ninety degree cross with LLWS on short final reported by the FALCON who just landed ahead of me; I'm in an Arrow. I'm crabbing about 45 degrees, carrying extra airspeed of course. Actually made a pretty good landing which surprised me under the conditions. It's amazing how one can focus and perform when you really have to. My worst landings were under good conditions when I just wasn't dialed in as much. A lesson there to be sure.

 

[BluesClues]

I slammed one on pretty good in SDF the other day. Winds were about thirty degrees off the right and gusting twenty five to thirty knots. It was a pretty uneventful visual to 17L followed by the worst bone-jarring impact I've felt in a while. I played it off as a "required weekly landing gear structural integrity test" The FA didn't quite buy that one!!

 

[cessna_driver2]

I remember going home from flight school one christmas on Continental. (Forgot what type of plane) The pilot had the wrong wind correction angle in and at the last minute tried to go opposite wing long and bounced hard. Funny thing is some one of course yelled out on landing, but my buddy had window seat and saw the quick wing change. When we got of the cabin door was still shut so we didn't really say much of anything.

 

[alimaui]

Student Pilot Landings

I know not nearly as traumatic as some of the situations that have been described, but to a student pilot...anything out of the ordinary is SCARY. By the way, I am now instrument rated and halfway through my commercial.

I was on my first supervised solo and in the pattern with another student on his first. This other student spoke english as a second language and had difficulty understanding. We are both in Pipers and there is a Mooney also in the pattern. The Mooney pilot very experienced instructor on a joyride IIRC. This other student landed on the runway. While being instructed to turn off on next taxiway he got confused. He missed the next taxiway and decided he should stop. Dont ask me why. Meanwhile, the Mooney is on semi-short final and lil-ol-me second time around the pattern on my own. The tower most patiently pleads with the student on the runway, but gets louder only to raise the students stress and confusion level....He is now full stop on the runway....just sitting there. The tower instructs the mooney to go around. As time goes by (seems like hours) this student still sitting on the runway. (The instructor listening on a handheld is currently running down the 2 mile long runway to help). My instructor is ever so patiently waiting at the end of the runway with his handheld (probably somewhat amused). At this time, the Tower now yelling at the student to Get OFF MY RUNWAY.... and instructin me now on extremely short final to go around. I know not as interesting as some stories above, but my little drama ended with a go around. It was a fun and interesting story to tell my friends...but I will never forget my first solo, lol.

 

[RichardFitzwell]

I remember going home from flight school one christmas on Continental. (Forgot what type of plane) The pilot had the wrong wind correction angle in and at the last minute tried to go opposite wing long and bounced hard. Funny thing is some one of course yelled out on landing, but my buddy had window seat and saw the quick wing change. When we got of the cabin door was still shut so we didn't really say much of anything.

cessna_driver2,

That's too bad the cockpit door was closed when you were exiting the aircraft. I'm sure the flight crew would have appreciated your critique of their landing. They could have learned from YOUR experience. (Please detect my sarcasm)

 

[172driver]

Single engine short field landings over an obstacle? That's a new one. But the Seminole does like to sink without pwr.

Three CFI's were in a Seminole...bad sign already. Reduced pwr to idle and flared it like a 172. Probably trying to get off at the 500 footers or something. Yes, the gear struts will go through the wings, both of em. The carcass is still sitting around to remind everyone. Some say the stabilator will stall before the wings. Whichever happened, it was a very short field landing.

 

[starchkr]

I have a couple that stick out in my mind.

Upon walk around of the 172 i was supposed to fly i noticed the nose gear strut shock fully collapsed and the scissors looked like a stack of pancakes so we had a mx guy replace the o ring and recharge the air-oil "charge." Everything looked great so off we went to return home. Upon landing, well trying to land, at GPM i couldn't pull the nose up far enough to get the mains to touch before porposing back into the air. After about 7 or 8 bounces and just before it was time to add power to figure something else out i got the nose to come up enough to make a three point landing. During the taxi to the ramp my buddy and i joked about how i had just become current for the next 3 months with that one "landing," and we couldn't figure out why for the life of us we were still looking up in the air and having to taxi like a tail dragger from side to side so that we could see where we were going. So to make a long story short, it turns out that upon rotating for takeoff the now highly charged nose strut had fully extended causing our little problem, and of course there was no way to know until attempting to land.

Second story does not involve me, but i did see it happen. While instructing in Dallas a severe line of storms rolled in very fast causing my student and i to have to divert our landing to Lancaster. Upon landing, a few more aircraft joined us on the ground, all rejects from this storm. Just as the winds began to pick up from the approaching storm, a King Air 200 crossed the thresh hold well above normal height for the short (i believe it is 4000 long) runway with those now gusting tail winds pushing it. This plane touched down past mid point of the runway and immediately went to reverse with a continually thickening grey smoke coming from the wheels. It seemed like they werent going to stop, and everyone watching was silent with a stare that is hard to describe. There was one guy that worked at the FBO who already had the door of his truck open thinking that he was going to witness an accident and was about to speed off and try to help. Another person was picking up the phone to call for emergency help at the same time. So to make another long story short, the plane stopped with just enough room to make a turn off the runway, and upon doing so it sat there for 10 or so minutes. When it slowly came limping up the taxiway to the ramp we all were anxious to meet the guys who had somehow saved that plane. We found out that they had blown one of the mains, and that a second had began deflating after they had pulled off the runway. The f/o said he got out after they cleared and noticed a very distinct burning smell and noticed the flap tire and the deflating tire smoldering, and the brakes were glowing they were used so much. That would explain the thickening grey smoke we saw the further they travelled down the runway. These guys did an amazing job to save that plane and its passengers, one of whom was the owner.

Sorry the above is so long... but hey, i am a pilot, and i can talk about this for hours... you guys just got the short, well kind of, versions.

 

[Buschpilot]

I'm pretty sure this is urban legend, maybe someone can verify or disclaim it. Either way I got a kick out of it.

Apparently the DO328Jet does not have reversers, as an alternative heavy duty brakes where installed (again, this is what I hear, correct me if I'm wrong). A new F/O and a complacent captain where flying into XYZ airport when the tower issued a LAHSO. Captain accepted. F/O made a good landing.

Brakes were applied.

200' later the smoke cleared and the airplane exited the runway. Both pilots had a bump on their forehead where the panel reached out and tapped them upon landing. Seems those heavy duty brakes where not on the F/O's mind when he applied them.

Again, probably not true, but I laugh everytime I think about those two guys.