Tip Your Pilots!
 

The title of this thread is a joke of course.

Was debating how to post this (or even to post it) but I figured why not. Without outing crew by posting the flight number, perhaps a fellow FT'er or two was on board the flight out of Cleveland today that had a really bad landing this evening. Think "two really hard bounces followed by having to go around after bouncing down the runway twice before bouncing a third time" bad landing. Another bounce, we probably would have made the news for not so good reasons. Pretty bad in the landing grade sheet.

And I'm not Monday Night Quarterbacking. I'm a pilot for the airline, but was a passenger on this flight so I'm allowed to sometimes grade landings, as compared to my landings, just about any landing ranks better.

Sometimes bad landings happen. They can be scary, I understand why most people got nervous after the second bounce and why a couple of passengers even let out a yell in the passenger cabin. I also understand why sometimes we see passengers who post how bad the flight was and want to know how a pilot could let such a thing happen.

Well they do happen, everyone is human. Ever drive right through a red light because you just aren't paying attention? It happens.

I happened to run into the pilot who was at the controls in the terminal after and let me tell you all, I haven't seen someone feel so badly about anything in a long time. I told him it happens, the Captain was trying to let him know it's not the end of the world, but trust me, he'll be thinking about this for a week. He kept shaking his head wondering how he bounced it so bad he had to go around. One bad landing that resulted in a go around out of a thousand good ones he'll have in 2011.

No metal was bent, nobody hurt, second time around, on speed and on centerline, great landing. But it was still something that shook people up.

So next time you have a rough flight, there's turbulence, there's a bad landing, whatever, remember your pilots are human up there. I think for the most part FT'ers are on planes enough and roll with the punches pretty well. If you've ever got a question about why something was done the way it was or why you landed hard, remember, on the ground, the cockpit door is open for a reason. Come in and ask. You don't even have to knock.

And on behalf of all pilots, thanks for not coming on here next time saying airline pilots need to learn how to land better. :)

Big ^ to the pilot for recognizing a bad situation before it turned into a mishap.

Hopefully no negative consequences will come down from a possible late arrival or extra fuel burned.

Protip: Don't quit your day job. You won't find another one with such generous compensation.

So what exactly causes bounces during landing? Is it just not slowing the plane down enough or something?

Also I've been up for almost 2 days so maybe I'm just not following. Are you saying after the 2 hard bounces the plane had to take off again and then attempt the second landing, is that what you mean by having to go around? I fly more than an average person but not as much as a lot of the FTers here but I know if that was to happen on my flight it would scare the $#%&*#% out of me.

Different things can cause a bounced landing but tonight, it was a case of getting too slow during the flare to landing. Instead of letting the plane fly to the runway at target speed, the plane got too slow before that and fell to the runway. First bounce, you need to add a little power to recover or the next bounce will be harder and bounce higher, and so on until you potentially cause some damage. And yes, after the second bounce, full power, take off again, and get vectored for another approach. Scary and very infrequent but it does happen.

Hmm interesting. I am trying to think back to the times I was on planes during hard landings. I guess it all happens so quick so that if/when there is a bounce I never noticed or at least couldn't tell how high the plane came off the ground and for how long. So thinking that after a second bounce the plane is able to take off just hard trying to picture it in my head. In any case good to hear that everything worked out okay in the end and hopefully this pilot can learn from his mistake.

Sorry for sounding like an ... but this guy should be grounded. One bad landing is bad enough but to put those passengers in joepardy twice is just not acceptable. He should find a new profession.

And you know this how? Unless you were in the cockpit you're speculating. Could have been windshear that resulted in a pilot induced oscillation (yes, I realize that is speculation).

Bottom line the guy screwed up the landing, sucked up his pride, and went around. Much better scenerio than burning up the brakes or going off roading. I'm not seeing where pax were put in joepardy(sic).

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. Any landing you can re-use the airplane is a great landing.

happy hr, that gave me a good laugh!

I think when people are at the top of their game (in any profession), they are of course doing everything in their control to avoid a mistake; that said, as Happy pointed out, there are always factors that are out of our control...

Maybe this guy is at the top of his game & maybe he isnt, but I do think one of the hallmarks of professionalism is shown in how one handles things after theyve gone awry, and it seems like he handled it the right way by going around for a do-over.

I'm sure FAA/CO will investigate the incident and determine whether the pilot should be grounded. No need to speculate.

There won't be any investigation and nobody will be grounded. No rules were violated, no damage done to the airplane, go arounds are routine and happen daily for one reason or another. My point was sometimes landings don't go per the book and a second attempt sometimes needs to be made.

I remember seeing advice a while back that said if you liked your landing, say something, as that is one part of the flight in which the pilots can show their skill. I'd also say that if the landing is bad, they know it already and moaning about it does nobody good.

Always when I have had questions, the pilots have done a good job of answering them. The FA's, however, want you out of the way quickly and run substantial interference. So, if we can ask questions, it would be nice for the FA's to know it is okay to do so.

Are you serious? People make errors. We are not perfect. This pilot did everything right as far as taking care of his passengers.

When are you having this "friendly little chat", while everyone is de-planing? Stand in the jetway if you want, but don't be put off if the crew doesn't wait around for accolades.

I'm a doctor who does some kinds of work where if a significant mistake occurs it can cause serious patient harm. I am conscientous in my efforts, well-trained, don't take undue risk, and truly have my patients' best interests in mind when I work.

Do I have complications? You bet I do.

Flying a plane is no different. These are human beings with human failings. Having systems in place, training for the unexpeced rare complication, and staying alert can *decrease* the risk of a problem, but will not eliminate human error. To post that a single bounced landing with no injuries essentially constitutes pilot ineptitude is as wrong minded as thinking that all medical complications are "malpractice".

Review the error, think what could have been done differently, make changes to standing procedures and protocols if appropriate, and thank god that nobody died. Then move on.