Wow…Glad I wasn’t on that flight.
It’s one of the those hold your breath videos. A Massive Boeing 747-400 cargo jet operated by Silkway Airlines landed, err…smashed into the runway at Shiphol International Airport last month. The jet appeared to encounter a large sink rate during its flare. Instead of going around, the jet continued and hit the ground with a vengeance. It hit so hard that the jumbo Boeing bounced at least 20 feet back into the air. The pilot then stabilized the jet and landed with a seat cushion still attached to his backside.
Why didn’t they go around?
I’m not sure actually. If a pilot encounters a severe downdraft (caused by weather or wake turbulence), the typical reaction is to get out of the situation–execute a go-around–and try again with a more stable approach.
The good news is that while the jet probably needed a hard landing inspection, it looks like no one was hurt in the incident, save for a bruised ego and YouTube infamy.
The first video is by ddb.aviation.
The second video of the same landing is shot by Dutch Spotter.
