After recovering from its 'hard landing' the Emirates flight returned to service, just 45 minutes delayed. Photo / Jonathan Winton
After recovering from its 'hard landing' the Emirates flight returned to service, just 45 minutes delayed. Photo / Jonathan Winton
Dramatic footage has emerged of the moment an Emirates Boeing 777 was forced to abandon a landing at the very last moment into Newcastle Airport in the UK.
After touching the tarmac, the landing was aborted due to the heavy crosswinds. This impromptu "go around" was captured on video by aviation enthusiast Jonathan Winton.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Winton described the hard landing as "completely unexpected".
The Boeing 777-300 is the world's largest twin engine aircraft and took some maneuvering.
It can be seen veering off course on the tarmac, landing gear down, before hitting the throttle to pull out into another takeoff.
"The aircraft then came in for a second approach and landed safely," Winton wrote on his YouTube channel which hosted the video.
"As the 777 disappeared behind the hedge before touching down, it slammed down onto runway 25, the spoilers deployed, and the next thing full power was applied for a go around."
"I've never seen anything like it here at Newcastle Airport."
While the aircraft was initially thought to have undergone damage during the hard landing, it was cleared for takeoff back to Dubai - undergoing just a 45 minute delay.
A spokesperson for the airline said: "We can confirm that flight EK35 from Dubai (DXB) to Newcastle (NCL) on 29 November, performed a standard go-around due to high winds on approach, before landing safely at 11.25am.
"After an engineering inspection of the aircraft, it was cleared for departure and has since left for Dubai. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised."
Known as a 'crab' landing, the sideways approach to the runway is designed to counter landing in strong crosswinds. They are a standard part of a pilot's training but bound to be unnerving for any nervous flyers onboard.
Abort: The Emirates 777 to Manchester pulled out of the dramatic 'crab' landing. Photo / Jonathan Winton
Strong winds are an important consideration when planning a landing. If deemed too strong the aircraft might be diverted to an alternative airport – however, in most cases the pilots will be able to correct for the conditions.
Speaking to the Mail Online, former pilot and Balpa pilots' association spokesperson explained the rational of a crab landing, and how abandoning a landing attempt is always a possibility:
"Both pilots will be monitoring the situation to ensure the wind does not exceed their limits and both will be alert to the possibility that the landing may need to be abandoned.
"The pilots would also remind themselves of the correct techniques and decide on the additional safety factor to be applied to the target approach speed."
