Posted on 09/22/2005 8:52:39 AM PDT by the tongue
Landing gear down means the plane burns more fuel which certainly impacts flight plans, etc..
Flying cross country at cruising altitude with a dangling nose wheel is a very bad idea.
The landing gear stuck down is a major safety risk. It is best if they stick close to an airport that is prepared for an emergency landing than to try to make it across the states and have to make an emergency landing at an airport that isn't ready.
The front landing gear was stuck and would not close causing too much drag on the aircraft, it might not have had the fuel to get to NYC.
You should not fly in a broken aircraft. The entire situation would have been a 30 minute deal had they been able to dump the tanks.
I was unaware that specific aircraft could not dump its tanks.
I'm not sure it's OK to fly that far at high speed with the landing gear down.
By my count there were at least three.
And vanities aren't news.
There's a reason why the wheels are built to retract.
Aerodynamics. Maneuvering. Fuel consumption.
The gear wouldn't retract...therefore it would cause drag on the aircraft, giving them bad performance and likely not making it to NY, even with reserves.
landing took place in daylight - better conditions for pilot and rescue workers.
If the landing gear was stuck down, the drag and speed limiting (you cannot exceed a certain speed without damage to the gear and plane) would drastically shorten the range. And protocol with inflight emergencies says you get the thing on the ground ASAP.
Supposidly that plane has no ability to dump fuel
That was from 2 aircraft mechanics I work with
I kinda wondered the same thing. But could the extended front landing gear have been a significant safety concern on a cross country flight?
And besides all of the above, it would have been post-sunset in New York. That's a bad time of day to have a possible "off-airport" linding.
And besides all of the above, it would have been post-sunset in New York. That's a bad time of day to have a possible "off-airport" landing.
Because the problem that caused the landing gear to fail to retract could have been caused by an electrical short and that would lead, potentially, to a fire. Plus leaving the gear down that way puts additional stress on the aircraft (because of the drag it induces) and makes it harder to control.
so important had to posted twice.. eh? :)
The Pilot was flying a loop in which he always had an airport in front of him in case the situation changed drastically he could land quickly.
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