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Video: ten terrifying landings, takeoffs and flights
It is pretty safe to say that 99.99% of all flights are completely uneventful, but every now and then you'll find yourself on a flight from hell. We've collected ten videos of poor takeoffs, poor landings and dreadful in-flight turbulence. Just remember - any flight you can walk away from can be considered a successful flight.
In the first video, you'll see JetBlue flight 292 trying to land with a broken nosewheel. The amazing flight crew managed to land the plane without any real problems. This plane also went down in history as the first where the passengers were able to watch their own plane emergency on live TV thanks to the DirectTV service.
Ecuador, bumpy takeoff.
Aborted landing of a KLM 747 at St.Maarten airport - watch at the plane comes in to land but is faced with an occupied runway.
Watch as the pilot of this Concorde decided the crosswinds are too much for a safe landing. Such an amazing plane, and a real shame she's no longer with us.
This is the aftermath of some really nasty turbulence on a Kuwait Airways flight. Passengers seem stunned, and the aisle is full of stuff from the overhead bins. Thankfully, most turbulence is limited to being thrown around a bit and almost never results in anything worse.
American Airlines coming in for a landing in Honduras at Tegucigalpa airport.
Same airport, from cockpit view.
Watch this Boeing 747 almost run out of asphalt - and witness the spotters freak out a little when 800,000 lbs of plane flies towards them.
Another awesome clip from St.Maarten airport. The beach at the end of the runway is notoriously dangerous, but that didn't stop these people from enjoying some sun, sea and sand. Until the jet took off that is...
This is one of those landings where the passengers ask the pilot whether he landed the plane, or if he was shot down.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rachel Feb 22nd 2011 4:48PM
Can we correct the spelling of Ecuador, please? Thanks! :-)
Rachel Feb 23rd 2011 10:15AM
Thank-you!! :-)
Jeannie Feb 23rd 2011 9:09AM
I thought any landing you could walk away from was a good landing. The pilot did a great job. They all did!
Summer Feb 23rd 2011 11:43AM
This is nothing compared to what I went through when traveling!
Niyamath Feb 23rd 2011 11:18AM
I have never seen like this airlines videos
K.G Feb 23rd 2011 1:53PM
OH ..HELL YEAH~~~ Make me want to book my flight immediately. YIKES!!! lol.
I commemorate the pilots. Hats to you. Wonderful job pulling it off...
J.E.B. Feb 24th 2011 3:37PM
That pilot landing at St. Maarten should have honked his horn at that other plane on the runway!
Janne Feb 24th 2011 3:37PM
Filipino pilots are one of the best pilots in the whole wide world, if not the best. Try Philippine Airlines and experience the comfort on landings and take offs.
Bob Feb 24th 2011 6:25PM
I flew in the Navy for 20 years...none of these can compare ot one day of flight ops on an aircraft carrier. And LOL at the Phillipine pilots statement......
ray Feb 24th 2011 7:04PM
At about :43 seconds on the 5th video, the aftermath of turbulence on kuwait airways, does the guy who was injured have tits or am I seeing things?
Cynthia Feb 24th 2011 8:05PM
In August 1990, a 747 landed at LAX with no nose wheel after an almost 16-hour flight from Sydney, Australia. More than 400 passengers were safely evacuated down the slides. I was a Flight Attendant on that flight.
Josh Strike Feb 25th 2011 6:09PM
I've been in way too many of these. I have dreams about 'em almost nightly.
I was on the other Jet Blue incident; the one that hit ground in the middle of a whiteout snowstorm at JFK and instantly went sideways, slid off the runway, and landed in a ditch where we sat for an hour until the transports could get to us. Mad tourists busting out video cameras. Limited screaming. They deployed the yellow chutes and we went down the slide, landed in the snow. The transport got stuck mid-runway and we sat for another hour waiting to be dug out. Got a free Jet Blue voucher out of that one.
Another flight I was on, also trying to land at JFK but this time in late autumn. Tower Air. Got hit by a massive downdraft about 2000 feet from the runway. Altitude probably no more than 1000 ft and the thing nearly plowed into an apartment block off Woodhaven. It was a one-stop flight to Tel Aviv and a hundred orthodox Jews started praying. The pilot went into IDF mode and pulled straight up with no more than a couple hundred feet to spare, then circled and came again to land.
A third one I was on, Northwest back in 1989, LAX to Detroit, dropped so hard and fast that half the people hit the ceiling.
And four years ago, my brother's plane got hit by lightning over Connecticut, was somehow disabled and had to make an emergency landing at Hartford.
I know I shouldn't fly, but I can't help thinking this means I got good odds from now on.
Aircraft Mechanic Feb 26th 2011 12:19AM
This is all pretty much normal. What happens while these ships are on the ground at night during RON maintenance time - a whole other and somewhat scary story in a few % points of interest.
Really
John Feb 26th 2011 7:49AM
This list should include a video of any routine landing at Paro, Bhutan. You can count the leaves on the trees as you shoot up a narrow valley and then do an extreme wing-over turn to land.
Martin Feb 26th 2011 1:18PM
Josh Strike great article and also very funny written. I am really sorry what you went through but great posting. I have taken about 200 flight so fare and I am not working for an airline. What concerns me the most is the conditions of the plane and the maintenance. Everything these days is outsourced and it has to be as cheap as possible. I don't mind paying more if I know that it will increase my safety. Some of these birds should be in the air no more and I am not if the FAA does such a good job guaranteeing my safety of a plane.
pixxxao Feb 27th 2011 10:31AM
Each story is a desperate plea for
High Speed Rail.