How common are aborted aircraft landings?

[EuroTrotters]

Maybe nicholsong could answer this.

I was sat watching the sun going down Up in Disley tonight. Saw this aircraft coming in and then watched it abort the landing. Coming back around a short time later?.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

We’ve been on a plane coming into land on Madeira, wheels just touched the ground when the pilot powered us up again. The runway extends over the sea and we were running out of road.

 

[Spriddler]

We’ve been on a plane coming into land on Madeira, wheels just touched the ground when the pilot powered us up again. The runway extends over the sea and we were running out of road.

That must be Mahon airport where IIRC the runway is cut into the side of a mountain. When I was there many years ago. At take-off the plane was pushed backwards to the very start of the runway at the mountain edge, presumably to be able to use the full length of the runway. Much the same at Gib although at least the runway there is more or less at sea level (if that would make it any safer).

 

[pappajohn]

As they say.....
take off is optional
landing is compulsory

 

[EuroTrotters]

As they say.....
take off is optional
landing is compulsory

or every landing is a controlled crash !

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Was working at Heathrow on the new BA taxiways about 12 years ago when the BA plane came up short on the landing, that made a Big Bang and plenty of chaos after

 

[Spriddler]

As they say.....
take off is optional
landing is compulsory

Or as the announcement went on one of my American Airways flights after waiting in the plane for an hour in the holding area: "Ladies and gentlemen we are pleased to advise that the technical fault has been cleared and we will be taking off momentarily".

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Was working at Heathrow on the new BA taxiways about 12 years ago when the BA plane came up short on the landing, that made a Big Bang and plenty of chaos after

Only 777 hull loss apparently.

Been on quite a few where we had to do a go around. EasyJet from Oslo into Luton once, it was twice before the pilot executed a really smooth landing

 

[Granjan]

Flying in to Athens seeing umbrellas and tables sideways on, just about to touch the tarmac and full throttle up again ….after a while captain said sorry folks the plane in front hadn't quite cleared the runway. I’m not so keen on flying.

 

[Tigger-Tim]

I used to fly every week, so had a few aborted landings.

The most memorable was into Rotterdam in a strong cross wind. About half the passengers had been sick. We managed to land on the third attempt. We were the last plane in - they closed the airport as soon as we were down safely.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I used to fly every week, so had a few aborted landings.

The most memorable was into Rotterdam in a strong cross wind. About half the passengers had been sick. We managed to land on the third attempt. We were the last plane in - they closed the airport as soon as we were down safely.

Last flight into Hong Kong (Chep Lap not Kai Tak) before the black typhoon warning was enforced. By the cringe, it was hairy even on an A340. The coach to the hotel was almost as bad across the bridges which were also about to be closed. All the trees outside the hotel were chained down but still took a trip across the square…… hairy stuff.

Happy days

 

[Langtoftlad]

Probably less than a dozen times in a thirty year career as cabin crew.

 

[nicholsong]

Maybe nicholsong could answer this.

I was sat watching the sun going down Up in Disley tonight. Saw this aircraft coming in and then watched it abort the landing. Coming back around a short time later?.


View attachment 709387

Trevor, to give you a serious answer 'I do not know'. but I suspect that worldwide it in excess of 1:1000

As they say.....
take off is optional
landing is compulsory

As the President of the Airline Pilots Association in USA said -

" We never left one up there yet"


Personally, as Captain I only executed 2 'Go-arounds' in my career: one at IoM when I told the newspaper charter company that there was little chance of getting in because of low cloud, but their operations people said 'Captain please have a go because Sunday newspapers do not sell well on Monday'

The other time was descending into Faro, Portugal and a light aircraft on approach in front of us could not see the runway, so assuming he could be anywhere I took the passengers up to 'safety' for a few minutes till he found it.

 

[Bolti]

Atrocious weather coming into Blackpool airports pilot abandoned first approach. Apologizes to us then state's "Hey ho, fingers crossed then folks".

 

[68c]

Sorry, wrong thread.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Otter Spotter]

I did a go around once when I flew some friends into Caernarfon airfield in a Cirrus SR-22. We had spent 15 mins circling whilst a local Spitfire pilot did a display for a Down’s syndrome kid, then I came in from the sea and got the approach all wrong, all was well on 2nd approach and another £100 bacon butty was enjoyed

 

[Coolcats]

Had an aborted landing and went round for a successful landing at Lanzerotte Airport the guy next to me was terrified he was trying to hide his head in his T shirt.

 

[seasideBill]

Happens a fair bit in Gibraltar. If local wind conditions aren’t right the pilots will have a tentative go, abort and divert to Malaga. Saw it happen quite a few times when I spent time there.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Had it once approaching Manchester. We were maybe 2 minutes from landing when suddenly engines started roaring, felt the G force again same as take off and nose lifted up. Apparently the previous plane hadn't cleared the runway, we circled once and landed normally.

 

[Bustup15]

Happened to us on Concorde into Heathrow. The G force was impressive!

No one knew why although I believe a plane hadn't cleared the runway. No panic or voices raised and everyone calm.

As normal the Sun reported

'passengers crying and screaming. A witness saw the jumbo jet in front of us that we narrowly missed'

What a load of tosh! Have you ever been in a passenger plane where you can see what's directly in front of you - I haven't.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ingwe]

One South African airline had a policy of all the aircrew standing at the front exit to say ”thank you“ to the passengers as they disembarked. After a particular rough and bouncy landing under strong cross winds, the shaken passengers were leaving saying “well done” to the pilot. An elderly woman passenger stopped at the captain, shook his hand and asked “one question; did we land or were we shot down?!”

 

[Coolcats]

Happened to us on Concorde into Heathrow. The G force was impressive!

No one knew why although I believe a plane hadn't cleared the runway. No panic or voices raised and everyone calm.

As normal the Sun reported

'passengers crying and screaming. A witness saw the jumbo jet in front of us that we narrowly missed'

What a load of tosh! Have you ever been in a passenger plane where you can see what's directly in front of you - I haven't.

The guy next to me was certainly badly shaken and upset and as I said had his head in his T Shirt,

Normally you just see the cabin door to the flight deck directly in front. Mind you back in the 80’s coming back from Italy there wasn’t a cabin door just a curtain swinging back and forth got a glimpse of the flight deck.

 

[SIFTA SAM]

Interesting many years ago on HMS Ark Royal watching the pilots on landing giving the aircraft full throttle when they thought they had failed to 'catch' one of the arrester wires. The aircraft didn't get far!

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

That must be Mahon airport where IIRC the runway is cut into the side of a mountain. When I was there many years ago. At take-off the plane was pushed backwards to the very start of the runway at the mountain edge, presumably to be able to use the full length of the runway. Much the same at Gib although at least the runway there is more or less at sea level (if that would make it any safer).

Madeira. Funchal ?? the one on stilts.
We had ago around in Heraklion, I think. Crete. Not so bad, we we're so low you could see the dolphins off shore swimming along.
Mike.

 

[The Boofles]

Two aborted landings last month at Inverness on BA flight …. landed 3rd time without incident. Low level cross winds to blame apparently.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Larrynwin]

Flying into Heathrow from Chicago on a Virgin Airbus A340 it seemed odd when on landing we taxied away from the main terminal and were surrounded by emergency vehicles.
Leaving the aircraft to the tarmac I could see a massive puddle of fuel underneath the aircraft

 

[nicholsong]

Interesting many years ago on HMS Ark Royal watching the pilots on landing giving the aircraft full throttle when they thought they had failed to 'catch' one of the arrester wires. The aircraft didn't get far!

I thought that in carrier landings they always landed with full throttle in case the arrester wire snapped or they missed it. They do not have time to spool up the engines if not at full chat to start with.

 

[jwells]

On a flight into Heathrow from SA the Pilot came on the intercom to warn us it was was going to be a rough landing. He got us in on the first attempt, but boy was it rough!! Think he landed at least three times, must have been 45° to the runway most of the time, really didn't know how he got it down with no damage. There was utter silence while it was all happening, when we turned off the runway there was a spontaneous round of applause!
Impressed but scary!!

 

[SpeedyDux]

The more scary landing is when the plane glides more than half way down the runway before the wheels touch the tarmac.

Happened to us on a Spanish crewed airliner landing at Brizzle in good conditions. The Brizzle runway is relatively short and has a hump in the middle. Even under max braking that plane only just stopped in the turning circle, with but a few metres to spare before it ran out of tarmac, otherwise it would have plunged down the hill at that end of the runway and ended up in the trees. The pilot-in-control should have abandoned that landing and done a go-around. I had a window seat, and saw the piano keys pass, then more tarmac, then we even went past the fire station, before finally touching down. Not enough safety margin.

 

[seasideBill]

The more scary landing is when the plane glides more than half way down the runway before the wheels touch the tarmac.

Happened to us on a Spanish crewed airliner landing at Brizzle in good conditions. The Brizzle runway is relatively short and has a hump in the middle. Even under max braking that plane only just stopped in the turning circle, with but a few metres to spare before it ran out of tarmac, otherwise it would have plunged down the hill at that end of the runway and ended up in the trees. The pilot-in-control should have abandoned that landing and done a go-around. I had a window seat, and saw the piano keys pass, then more tarmac, then we even went past the fire station, before finally touching down. Not enough safety margin.

Did you remember to say “cheers drive” as you disembarked?

I’ve been in & out of there many times and have known a few of them brake like hell and take the bend at the bottom of the runway very fast rather than join the scenery!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}