Had an emergency landing yesterday on UA173 while flying a 767-200 from Boston to San Francisco. Cargo bins in the left undercarriage were jolted as the landing gear retreated upon take-off. The pilot acknowledged the sound in briefing upon reaching cruising altitude, assuring us that it would not compromise structural integrity or control of the aircraft. Yet when landing gear retracted during the landing sequence near SFO, the whole plane shuddered. The pilot remarked that the crew was examining the configuration, and what appeared to be a landing attempt turned out to be a flyby for a visual on landing gear status. After circling for 10 minutes north of San Francisco in a highly unusual flight pattern, we were told that a warning indicator for the left landing gear was on, that all three wheels appeared to be down, but that it was possible that there was structural damage and that the left landing gear wouldn't sustain the landing impact.

The flight attendants were extremely professional and briefed us on emergency landing procedures. We then had 30-40 minutes presumably to burn fuel, allow time for emergency preparation on the ground--and, of course, to contemplate mortality. I wouldn't wish this predicament on anyone....

The landing gear held up during the smooth landing, as the flight attendants continually chanted 'brace' and 'keep you heads down until the aircraft stops'. Our arrival was greeted with applause within the cabin and a crew of fire and rescue teams on the ground. As taxiing involved further risk, we exited via portable stairs and were bussed to the terminal. Hope I never set foot on SFO runways again.

After being told the bags would emerge within 15-20 minutes, we learned (40 minutes after entering baggage claim) that the plane was being towed to a remote location and that offloading would involve a substantial delay. Only an hour after landing were we given forms or phone numbers to arrange baggage delivery.

My reactions and reflections:
- 767-200s are among the oldest type remaining in the UA fleet. Retire! Retire! Retire!
- My last east-to-west transcon was perhaps the first UA flight to make the journey from JFK to SFO after the 9-11 tragedies. Add the frayed nerves from that week to this landing and the American Airlines disaster earlier in the day yesterday, and I'm understandably wary of travel to the east coast.
- The flight attendants were exceptional in maintaining a professional and reassuring demeandor, preparing us for an emergency landing and evacuation, providing clear and straightforward instructions, developing fine rapport with passengers. It was poignant that the crew on the hijacked BOS-LAX flight on 9-11 was a group of colleagues/friends.
- The possibility of mechanical problems is part and parcel of flying, but I wonder whether maintenance and repairs may be compromised during times of cutbacks.
- I secretly wished for coupons or bonus miles to acknowledge this experience and to encourage our future travel, but we received nothing (any parallel experiences on the list?). On the other hand, the contract is for safe travel from one place to another, and safety is much more important than marketing commitments, esp. in these times.

My next flight is slated for next week! I'm not at all motivated to cancel. I'm always reminded that commercial flying is safe 99.99995% of the time.

Simply grateful for bodily integrity and life...