Just wondered where people had experienced their worst Take-Off or Landing.
I had a pretty horrible landing going into Copenhagen a few times due to cross winds, which are well known there according to a pilot friend (easyJet Captain).
The worst and most terrifying was a year ago going into Goa airport on a night flight. Having flown from Gatwick we hit a heavy storm coming in to land. The rain and fog were so severe that the pilot was unable to navigate to the runway. Having got lower, and lower AND LOWER we suddenly saw houses below us, AT VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY at which point the pilot pulled up at very VERY last minute with no runway in sight. The pilot circled twice more and after the third late abort, much to our relief, he announced that we would be flying to another airport an hour away, also adding that we didn't have sufficient fuel to mess around for much longer and still make it to an alternative airport. Not really want we were wanting to hear. We did get down at another airport that was completely closed in the middle of the night and after sitting on the tarmac for around 2 hours, our plane was refueled and we went back to Goa. The weather wasn't a whole lot better and to say the pilot threw the plane onto the tarmac is an understatement.
My wife and I have flown 100 times + and so are fairly confident, but to say we were shitting ourselves is downplaying it. Without saying a word to each other we held hands, never having done so on any previous flight.
Any other stories?
2
Comments
It started off ok, we got to the airport and the bar was open, obviously we started drinking, and noticed a plane landing with smoke and flames coming out it engines, the chasing fire engines really brought it to everyone attentions. We laughed and joked and was saying about some poor idiots had to get on it to go home. Yes those idiots were us, anyway more drinks were had, plane eventually made it to the terminal, loads of engineers working on a still steaming engine. Dan air very kindly brought us some more drinks, at this point we were at that lovely happy stage. Anyway they said no problem engine fixed, all get on board, so with the glow of innocence and the effects of alcohol, we boarded. Oh goody more free alcohol, thus flying lark is fun, we are all loaded and off we taxi, all seems ok, we start hurtling down the runway, and I thought it would be fun to wave a chasing fire engine, I counted six, got I suppose half down the runway and a very loud explosion, from that bloody engine, followed by a scream of oh look smoke and flames. Brakes are applied and I think they throw the anchor out as well.
All back to the terminal, yes, yet more free drink. Must have been three hours later, the dreaded announcement, you can board, but we weren’t worried, it would be a plane. That’s the innocences of youth you, no same plane, well at this stage despite all the free booze, some were a shade nervous, but to be fair we only carried on two girls who were absolutely terrified. Anyway same thing happened as the first attempt, Big Bang screech of brakes, free alcohol.
Anyway if you never seen a plane load of absolutely terrified 18 to 30 pissed years olds all screaming and fighting to try to jump out of a plane, then you weren’t on this flight. Now unbeknown to us (and these isn’t being sexist the captain was a lady, in those day it was unheard off) this female voice come over the loudspeaker, it was sheer chaos on the plane, woman were screaming, men were quickly reading the safety card. Anyway eventually calm was restored, by yet more free alcohol. She explained what was happening and what would happen we land. She explained in detail in great details when she did this to be fair the men were screaming now. Anyway we were landing at Gatwick, and the more experienced flyer said we would circle once we got over the Isle of Wight, we didn’t we dumped all the fuel over the Isle of Wight and headed straight for Gatwick, no circling or anything straight in, fire engines and ambulances had a head start, but we soon overtook them, mind you the plane was fairly quiet, everyone was praying. Just before we landed the bloody engine exploded and she said she would try to restart it as it aid the stopping of the plane, to be fair go knows how she stopped it but we finished up a few feet before the end of the runway. A cheer went up and we used the emergency escape slides to escape, mind you I don’t recommend them when you had that much to drink.
It was 5 years before I flew again.
Take off from Denver was ok, but straight into very heavy storm meant first 90 minutes were VERY bumpy.
Watched some crazy windy wing-almost-touching-ground take offs at Wellington.
Was on the NY-Boston shuttle during heavy snow storm and the next shuttle plane an hour behind ended up in the Hudson having failed to leave the ground due to ice on wings.
Had quite a lot of landings where you hit the ground hard and overhead lockers bang open and drop stuff on passengers.
As one pilot told us, you just drive it onto the runway...it's that easy.
an ageing China Airways 747SP on in internal flight from Beijing to Shanghai. Belting along the runway at take off speed when, with a bang, all the oxygen masks dropped from overhead. The pilot carried on and when the lights went off the stewardesses came around and pushed all the masks back up. Our tour guide went around to check first to see if anyone needed the masks before allowing the stewardesses to put them away!
Worst landing:
Delta Airlines coming in to land at Chicago at night in a thunderstorm. There was was absolutely nothing visible out of the windows as the plane sank lower and lower until it popped out of the cloud base and just a couple of hundred feet above the ground at which point the captain pushed the throttles forward and shot back into the clouds and flew around. He came on the tannoy to apologise and tell us that the plane in front of us hadn’t cleared the runway and we were coming down right on top of it!
https://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/33990/drama-in-the-air-flying-fears
What I typed then...
"Absolutely loved flying on planes up until I was about 14, when on the way to Florida our plane had to make an emergency landing somewhere in North America, in a USAF base. Had a 2 hour wait sitting in an aircraft hanger whilst the Engineers done their stuff. So off we went again, pilot aborted the take off twice, the second time when it felt like we was already in the air. At that point, I realised I wasnt indestructable and just wanted to go home. Third time lucky finally got up in the air and then we had an aborted landing at Florida a few hours later due to a lightning storm. I thought I'd met my maker.
Had a few lads holidays with AFKA and co mid 90s and coped just about but then didnt get on a plane again until 2005 with the ex-wife, really didnt enjoy the 4 hour flight to Lanzarote. 2007 had my stag do in Barcalona, AFKA will tell you I didnt feel too great on the plane. He was a damn sight braver than me lol.
However, nothing will ever compare to how I felt on my way to see Spurs play PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA cup a few years back. Got to Gatwick for my 7am Easyjet flight. Flight delayed by 2 hours, no one knowing the reason why. Finally got a gate number. Walked down to the gate then we were told that the flight had been delayed because there was a force 8/9 gale going on at Amsterdam Airport and we wouldnt be able to land. So we had to wait at the gate until the satellite forecast said it was safe. After an hour wait, we were rushed onto the plane in super quick time and was in the air within 5 minutes. Never boarded and taken off so quickly before.
Take off was fine and the journey was ok til about halfway across the North See. OMG it was like a roller coaster for the last 20-30 mins of the flight. Never known turbulence like it. Dozens of people screaming OMG we're gonna die etc etc, I literally shat myself, I grabbed the indian guy sitting next to me about 3 times and didnt even know him. It was awful. Finally landed at 'Dam. Never felt so relieved to get off that plane but that cured me of my fear of flying. Knowing I got through that ok, I knew flying was ok again. Have been on a plane half a dozen times since and I've been absolutely fine.'
Since I met my wife, we've holidayed abroad at least 3-4 times a year up until covid struck so I dont even worry about flying now. Funny how it plays on your mind!
Because wherever you lot are going... I'm going in the opposite direction!!
I can only describe this plane as a transit van with wings, just really creeking and making all sorts of noises.
So I had to sit there with this knowledge - kept to myself - for a few minutes - until pilot announced we were ditching fuel over the sea and returning to Florida. The landing was uneventful until we could see the lights of the fire engines following us after we touched down. Not a fun experience.
Returning to England from RAF Gatow, Berlin, we were given close attention by a Russian MiG fighter until we crossed into West Germany. That was a regular occurence in those Cold-War days.
I was on an Emirates A380 plane flying from Beijing to Dubai, a journey I've done quite a few times. As we were coming in to land at Dubai airport and being able to watch, as I always do, the landing on the TV screen in front of me, we were on the final approach and were lined up to the runway, we had descended and were about 1 minute or less from touching down, when another plane pulled onto the runway. The pilot of the A380 aborted the landing, and put the plane into a vertical climb, everyone got thrown backwards in their seats, as the plane went virtually straight up and started banking to the left at the same time!!
We then flew on for about another 10/15 minutes as the plane levelled out, and then started to turn again. We then started our decent again, as the pilot came on the intercom to explain if we had continued to make the first landing we may not have missed the other plane so he made the last second decision to abort and pulled vertically upwards!!
Now A380's are one of the biggest planes in the sky, but I can confirm that they can go straight upwards, like a rocket trajectory in times of emergency!! The second landing was as normal as ever, but I have to say I was a tad worried during the first one!!
Worst landing, a couple. Ariving in Funchal the approach heads straight towards a mountain and the plane veers to the right at the last minute. Standard practice apparently!
Landing in Gibraltar - plane touches down, pilot realises that he's touched down too far down and will run out of room (into the sea at the end!), full throttle applied and off into the air again.
I was in a seat by the emergency exits and where the cabin crew sit during take-off and landing, as we were making the final approach the stewardess's sitting opposite me, started 'crossing themselves', which put the fear of god in me!!! I was thinking we're in serious trouble here, and broke out in a clammy sweat!!
As we hit the runway, there were loads of fire trucks lining the runway and as we moved along they started following us with all lights flashing!!! We finally came to a halt on the outskirts of the airport. Thinking we would now disembark I got ready to move, when the bloody pilot came on the intercom again and said because we were an unscheduled landing we didn't have permission to disembark and now that the plane was safe we had to stay where we were while the ground crew looked to fix the bloody problem with the engine!! Now that was a scary experience that's for sure!
Although in 1985 we were delayed coming home by about 12 hours, and we flew back on a British Caledonian Jet yet had flown out by BA, turned out the plane that was due to fly us home was the one that caught fire on the runway at Manchester and killed 50+ people.
The problem instead was at Lisbon though as we had an aborted landing, first I'd ever experienced after being on loads of flights over the years. It was aborted because it was so windy, turns out Lisbon is the windiest airport in the world with high abort rates. It was so windy only the back wheels of the plane managed to touch down and the tailwind so strong the plane just couldn't slow down and get the front wheels down that it kept going and took off again. I was also amazed the wings didn't hit the ground first either.
The pilot informed us it would be impossible to land so we'd have to detour to Faro 170-odd miles and a good 3 hours drive away, of which Faro airport was meant to have been closed too. Thankfully we were provided with coach transportation back to Lisbon airport and got there late evening instead of mid-afternoon so had to write off a whole afternoon of what was only a long weekend but we made the best of it, squeezed in everything we wanted to do in the end that weekend but really were just pleased to eventually get to the hotel.
You hear quite a few people say they don't understand what keeps a plain in the sky. My advice to them is to find out and the more you know, the safer you will feel.
Not quite had the near death experiences of some on here but did take off in a storm from Hong Kong to Bali on honeymoon and the first 45 minutes of that flight were pretty jumpy, compared to usual bad turbulence we have all seen
The two worst landings I've had were in Dublin where its always windy.
First and worst was in a little 50 seater turbo prop from Southend that circled for ages, pilot on the intercom saying he only had one shot at landing or would be going to Belfast, he got it down, sideways I think, I was just necking my can of Heineken and praying. Met my mates in the bar at the airport, we had all flown in from different London airports and looked pretty green (one and only time I have drank brandy). The only one that wasn't there (and had the tickets for the game we were going to) was on a Ryanair from Stansted and had 3 failed landings before going back to Liverpool. Never fly Ryanair unless you have to.
Also had a goaround at Dublin, on a normal sized BA plane due to wind again I think.
Don't ever fly into Cork then if you think Dublin is windy. It can be the calmest of days and yet it still feels like you’re in a wind tunnel.
Internal flights in South America and India have all been pretty harrowing just because the planes alway look and sound like something from Tales of the Golden Monkey.
But the worst one for me was a landing into Mytilene Lesvos. It was obvious the pilot just got everything wrong that day. We dropped like a stone and came down with such a crash I still don’t know to this day how the plane didn’t fall apart.
Still, the captain came over the tannoy, ‘I’d like to thank Damon Hill fir our landing today’, which made a few of us laugh. Those that weren’t already crying 😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣