Posted on 09/21/2005 8:41:46 PM PDT by traumer
LOS ANGELES – A JetBlue airliner with faulty landing gear touched down safely Wednesday evening at Los Angeles International Airport after circling the region for three hours with its front wheels turned sideways and unable to retract into the plane.
As passengers inside the plane watched the drama unfold on television sets in the cabin, the pilot landed using the back wheels first and then easing onto the front tires. The front wheels smoked, popped and sparked as the plane rolled to a stop on an auxiliary runway set apart from the main terminals. No one was hurt.
"We all cheered, I was bawling, I cried so much, said Christine Lund, 25, who was traveling with her cat.
Zachary Mascoon said it was "surreal" to watch the emergency unfold on a television inside the plane. At one point, he said, he tried to call his family, but his cell phone call wouldn't go through.
"I wanted to call my dad to tell him I'm alive so far," the 27-year-old musician said.
Mascoon praised the flight crew's professionalism, adding that the emergency was handled with calm.
Emergency crews from across the area, which had massed near the runway, helped the 140 passengers and six crew members. Within minutes, the plane's door was opened and passengers with their carry-on luggage walked down a stairway onto the tarmac.
Some passengers shook hands with emergency workers, talked on their cell phones and waved to cameras. One firefighter carrying a boy across the tarmac put his helmet on the child's head. Family members called the airport, asking where they can meet up with passengers.
No injuries were immediately reported, authorities said.
"It was a very, very smooth landing. The pilot did an outstanding job," fire Battalion Chief Lou Roupoli said moments after the plane touched down. "There was a big hallelujah and a lot of clapping on that aircraft. ... If you're going to land in a bad situation, this is where you want to be."
JetBlue flight 292 left Bob Hope Airport in Burbank at 3:17 p.m. for New York's JFK airport, said JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin.
The Airbus A320 first circled the Long Beach Airport, about 30 miles south of Burbank, and then was cleared to land at Los Angeles International Airport. It stayed in flight to burn off fuel before landing, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker.
As the plane landed in Los Angeles, spectators gathered on buildings and stood on parked cars to see first-hand an ordeal that was broadcast on local and national television that showed the nose wheel turned perpendicular.
The runway where the plane landed will be closed indefinitely, but there will be no flight delays or cancellations, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation, Walker said.
JetBlue, based in Forest Hills, N.Y., is a five-year-old low-fare airline with 286 flights a day and destinations in 13 states and the Caribbean. It operates a fleet of 81 A320s.
Job well done Capi.....Congrats
Airbus: When you absolutely, positively must crash tonight.
Here's a link to the live thread for the play by play:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1488925/posts
Which third world country do they do their maintaince in?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1325749/posts
Someone should pin a medal on the flight crews chest. I have been on worse landings where the plane had all landing gear down and locked.
The gear was down and locked. The nose gear was just locked sideways. It's happened before with the A320.
The gear was down and locked. The nose gear was just locked sideways. It's happened before with the A320.
Subsidized Euro technology at its finest!:(
Can someone explain to me why there is not a way to dump fuel, which is why they had to fly around for 3 hours?
"Which third world country do they do their maintaince in?"
oakland.
(and others...)
"Which third world country do they do their maintaince in?"
oakland.
(and others...)
The A320, like most modern airliners, does not have the capability to dump fuel. It is not uncommon these days for pilots to request airborne holding short of their destination in order to burn off fuel and get below their maximum safe landing weight.
If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.
1. Can the pilot steer the front wheel of the plane while on the ground in some way other than by using the engines?
2. If so, is this accomplished using the same yoke that steers the plane in flight?
3. If so, how does the pilot transfer between these two functions?
"Who says the nose wheels have to be parallel to the fuselage? That's just an American custom."
You've got that right.
Is there any good way for a pilot to increase fuel consumption? I would expect that if the plane would allow it the pilot could theoretically enter a steep climb at wide open throttle; if the thrust/weight ratio is less than 1:1 (as it is on any commercial jetliner) it should be possible to maintain stable airspeed in such fashion. On the other hand, that might not be very comfortable for the passengers, and might have safety problems besides. Any other alternatives?
Am I to assume the gear is rotated 90 degrees when it's retracted in order to save space?
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