Was This “Dangerous” Landing Really a Big Deal? Not According to One Pilot
Joe Cortez July 29, 2015
Pilot says viral landing of KLM Boeing 777 was dramatic, but not necessarily dangerous.
Did a pilot take a serious risk when he land a KLM Boeing 777 in 63 mph winds at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)? Not really, says pilot and blogger Patrick Smith, who described the landing as just another day in the life of a commercial airline pilot. Smith made the comments to The Huffington Post after watching the viral video below.
The video, which depicts the aircraft fighting crosswinds on final approach, has garnered upwards of 9 million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on July 25. The videographer describes the aircraft as making a “dangerous roll to the right” before safely landing at AMS.
While the video gives the appearance that the aircraft was in danger, Smith said that the landing was normal for the conditions. “It looks fairly dramatic, but it was not dangerous,” Smith told The Huffington Post. “For the passengers on board, I’m sure there was some jostling, but the plane didn’t come anywhere close to crashing.”
In addition, Smith told the online publication that the pilots took the right approach for landing in the high crosswinds. The pilot said that landing at the angle allowed the pilots to maintain control and prevent the 777 from sliding across the runway.
“That landing was well within the capabilities of the pilots and also the aircraft,” Smith told HuffPo.
In a statement to CNBC, KLM said the landing did not compromise the safety of the aircraft or passengers. “Last Saturday [July 25], all flights at Schiphol encountered strong winds and thereupon applied the relevant procedures,” said the airline. “KLM pilots were well able to deal with it and ensure the safety of passengers and crew.”
[Photo/Video: YouTube, 17splinter]
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http://youtu.be/c-qssyFKHUg Come on...
I just wish that Internet Brands had not decided to make Flyertalk a click bait site.
I love the differences in reporting on this. On my news reader I saw two headlines adjacent to each other with identical screengrabs of the video. Telegraph: Plane makes impressive landing in stormy weather | KLM pilot skillfully navigates high winds to land plan at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport Mashable: Terrifying video of a plane careening as it lands will make you queasy | A KLM Asia Boeing 777 nearly crashed upon landing at Schiphol airport due to a heavy windstorm Internet clickbaiting at its best...
I have been a FAA certified flight instructor-instrument and airplane, since 1981. I watched the video twice. The pilots did a great job. They did NOT put their passenger's safety-the primary concern-at risk. The pilots should be commended for a job well done.
Wow!! WAs that actual speed, or accelerated?