Why would they try and land in a hurricane?

Question

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=6764062

View this video and let me know if there could be a good reason they tried to land this plane in 100mph+ wins, I would really like to know. It doesn't seem like a mechanical emergency cause' they go around. It darn near looks like a Citabria trying to nail it in a 30kt crosswind. Either the pilots have some brass ones or they're crazy.

Answer 1

Short of being out of fuel, no. My brother is a 767-300 Captain and he says 60kts is extremely hairy (landing in SF the other week). Can't imagine anyone even getting near the ground with winds like that unless they were on fumes. Had to be way out of the plane's max crosswind limitations.

Answer 2

Some pilots are crazy and can make mistakes. I assume that the aircraft could be low on fuel (or not enough to get to another airport) so it would be the only option. Also, some pilots suffer major fatigue (travelling to different time zones) so therefore cannot think correctly and are less respondsive (that's how a 747 almost crashed)

Answer 3

I don't know what the crosswind limit is for an A30 but I'm sure it's well below what this guy was trying to land in. He either didn't have much choice, or is some kinda nut case.

Answer 4

If you watch any A/c on approach on a slightly windy day, the A/c will be yawing towards the wind, only straightening at the last few feet.

This was what the pilot was doing, and doing OK, BUT, at that last moment a sudden gust or a microburst hit him, so the pilot reached for the "MUMMY!!!" handle and yanked it skyward, and all credit to him for recovering what could have been a disaster.

The windspeed was the same 10 minutes later as he came round for 2nd attempt and succeeded.

On liveleak, search for Swissair 146 on Bumpy Landing.  Now that's what is known as a drinks spiller!

Answer 5

well coroswwind landings are allways werse in airbuses because the way thir build they allways rock when they do a crosswind landing but this is just crazy just crazy

its routine to land in high winds

but 100mph now thats crazy

but when you have no choice youi have no choice

Answer 6

Crosswind (155+ MPH) was most likely caused by a microburst from a nearby thunderstorm.  Noted the low hanging clouds and wet runway.

From the video, the pilot should have pulled out and gone around well before he crossed the threshold of the runway, but many Airbus planes are landed by the plane itself, so the computers thought the conditions may have been within acceptable parameters.

Pilot was most likely a former military pilot.

Answer 7

First off I find it very hard to believe that is 100 plus mph. I saw a news clip earlier reporting 155 plus mph.  It's probably more like 40-55 kts. Still the pilot has got to be nuts or he is about to flame out to try and land in that kind off wind no matter how strong it is.

Maybe he didn't pay attention to the controllers when they gave the wind direction and velocity. I've heard it happen before landing at LGA when a fellow pilot was making an approach and after the controller announced wind 160 at 65 gusting to 80 knots he acknowledged  "roger, cleared to land" after a few seconds he asked for the wind again when the controller replied "wind 150@65kts gusting to 90" or something like that, when the pilot said "we can't land in that" And that's when the controller says "state your intentions" lol.

Answer 8

The plane had to be low on fuel. That's the only reason I can think of, If not the pilot needs to be shot.