Pilot hailed for expert crab landing on Storm Darrah Heathrow | United Kingdom | News
The pilot of an airliner who performed an “extraordinary” advanced landing technique, safely transporting passengers at Heathrow Airport, has been praised by the public for his exceptional skills. In gripping footage of the Malaysia Airlines landing, the pilot can be seen using a ‘crab’ technique to maintain control while being hit by sudden gusts during Storm Darragh.
The storm brought winds of up to 96 mph to southern England on Saturday, with powerful gusts at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, forcing many planes to make multiple attempts to landing. For some passengers it was an agonizing day of flying, with one British Airways flight making three failed attempts before the pilot conceded and flew to Frankfurt.
However, most flights were eventually able to land, although passengers on board were shaken by the landings. During the final moments of the descent of a Malaysia Airlines flight to Heathrow in London on Saturday, the nose of the plane can be seen turning sharply to the side as the pilot battles against the wind, and enthusiasts aviation on the ground were heard exclaiming “Woah easy! Blimey O'”. Reilly”, while the pilot maneuvers on the tarmac.
With both rear wheels on the ground and the plane’s nose at a nearly 45-degree angle, the Airbus A350-900 can be seen bouncing slightly before expertly righting itself.
Although it may seem odd to land at such an angle, this strategy is known as “crabbing” and is actually how the pilot manages to maintain control when landing in conditions difficult crosswinds, like those encountered on Saturday.
Counterintuitively, pilots steer the plane’s nose into the wind while continuing to fly straight ahead, landing almost sideways like a crab. This allows the plane to counter the force of the wind and align itself with the runway.
To some observers, it looked like “economy class row 40 was landing first”, while many praised the skill of the Malaysia Airlines flight’s pilots for achieving “a pretty spectacular crab angle”. The people on board were probably just happy to be back on solid ground.
