UA627 N26123 DEN-EWR "hard landing"@ EWR, runway disembarkment - 15 June 2019
Jul 2, 2019, 1:23 pm
#106
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I was on the aircraft on the port side forward of the wing, bounce is not a rumor.
On approach we turned downwind south of EWR on a northwest heading and then turned base and final. Final was straight down the Hudson and we got wonderful views of Manhattan, flew right over TEB, and MetLife Stadium. The approach was the same as other 22L/22R approaches I have experienced, there was nothing abnormal. I was looking out the window from about 15 min prior to landing until we touched down.
We crossed the threshold and I noticed that RWY 11 was closed. We touched down on RWY 22L shortly after the RWY 11 intersection, probably closer to the Mike intersection. When the main gear touched we bounced (I have been on aircraft that have bounced before and that felt mostly normal for a bounce), I believe, we then touched and bounced a second time, then on the final impact it felt more like a thud, I do not know if the nose gear or main gear hit first on the final impact. I heard what appeared to be glass breaking in the galley and noticed a flushing around the galley came loose. Then I heard what sounded like metal scraping on the ground, noticed that we were veering to the left side of the runway. The pilot brought the aircraft to a halt just shy of the grass on the left side of the runway. When we stopped you could feel the aircraft leaning towards the port side and one could smell burnt rubber.
On approach we turned downwind south of EWR on a northwest heading and then turned base and final. Final was straight down the Hudson and we got wonderful views of Manhattan, flew right over TEB, and MetLife Stadium. The approach was the same as other 22L/22R approaches I have experienced, there was nothing abnormal. I was looking out the window from about 15 min prior to landing until we touched down.
We crossed the threshold and I noticed that RWY 11 was closed. We touched down on RWY 22L shortly after the RWY 11 intersection, probably closer to the Mike intersection. When the main gear touched we bounced (I have been on aircraft that have bounced before and that felt mostly normal for a bounce), I believe, we then touched and bounced a second time, then on the final impact it felt more like a thud, I do not know if the nose gear or main gear hit first on the final impact. I heard what appeared to be glass breaking in the galley and noticed a flushing around the galley came loose. Then I heard what sounded like metal scraping on the ground, noticed that we were veering to the left side of the runway. The pilot brought the aircraft to a halt just shy of the grass on the left side of the runway. When we stopped you could feel the aircraft leaning towards the port side and one could smell burnt rubber.
Great that it ended with no injuries.
Jul 2, 2019, 4:48 pm
#107
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Rumor has it the airplane bounced. If you bounce once, especially if the bounce is high, there’s a correct way to manage the situation without compounding an error (starting with a go-around, if practicable). A worst-case scenario is the SSJ in Moscow a few weeks ago, where the airplane comes back down onto the pavement with multiple g-forces, leading to structural failure.
What actually transpired here remains to be seen, but it’s clear the airframe was stressed beyond its limits, resulting in fuselage deformation in several places.
Jul 2, 2019, 7:04 pm
#108
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Jul 2, 2019, 8:27 pm
#109
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The nature of this particular flight (initial operating experience for a new-hire first officer) makes that question a bit more difficult to answer, because there was a probationary pilot flying the airplane, along with a line check airman who has added supervision/training-related responsibilities above that of a normal Captain in a pilot monitoring role. I'm not really qualified to opine, either, but both internal (UAL) and external (NTSB) investigations will reach conclusions as to this issue.
The physics of a bounced landing are such that certain warning signs will manifest ahead of the bounce, and corrective measures need to be taken quickly following one to avoid porpoising into a nose-first touchdown at high-G forces, risking collapse of landing gear or worse.
A bounce on landing requires careful management of the energy state of the airplane. The higher the bounce, the more important it is to apply go-around power as early as possible. But not every single bounce will absolutely require a go-around in order to safely resolve.
The physics of a bounced landing are such that certain warning signs will manifest ahead of the bounce, and corrective measures need to be taken quickly following one to avoid porpoising into a nose-first touchdown at high-G forces, risking collapse of landing gear or worse.
A bounce on landing requires careful management of the energy state of the airplane. The higher the bounce, the more important it is to apply go-around power as early as possible. But not every single bounce will absolutely require a go-around in order to safely resolve.
Sep 24, 2019, 9:58 am
#112
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Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 pm
#114
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