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 guess he missed that day in pilot school.
If it takes full power to taxi, you may not have put your wheels down. :=)
LOL!
A don’t worry about the scrapes on the belly- they’ll buff right out.
He was still at 1200 feet or so when the warning sounded, so why didn’t he just drop ‘em and continue the approach? Three greens is a GO on a 73 isn’t it?
News site’s full name: Nana Nabooboo
We call them anti-chaffing rubbers.
Both pilots should have to take additional trainer time since it is a crew-served aircraft. The Co-Pilot initiates and verifies the checklists.
When you deploy the landing gear it changes your approach angle because of the loss in speed from flying dirty(ier).
Very, very unusual. Most El Al pilots are ex-military or current military - and dam good. Makes you wonder what else was happening that they were so distracted.
Guess they thought allah was flying the plane....
More happy graduates from Rudi Dekkers flight school?
Thanks Jack, my days in a 150 are long past and weren’t complicated by gear issues. Good point.
Remember the old saying...
Pitch, power, trim! Pitch, power, trim!
I was actually wondering about that. (Not a pilot) Thanks.
I always wonder why the airlines and the FAA haven’t changed the rules on when the landing gear is dropped. It seems flying those several miles with the increased drag from the gear is expensive, costing many millions of dollars of fuel cumulatively each year.
I guess now I have my answer. Too dangerous to wait any longer.
I usually see them drop their gear about 10-12 miles out.
Just like in airplane.
El Al is an Israeli airline. I doubt they'd be using pilots who pray to allah.
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