- A hair-raising video shows the moment an Airbus A380 landed sideways at Heathrow Airport as high winds from Storm Dennis pummeled the UK.
- The two-tiered plane can be seen fighting against the winds, almost at a 90 degree angle to the runway, before finaly touching down.
- Winds around the airport reached 50 mph on Saturday, Sky News reported . Hundreds of flights in and out of the UK were canceled this weekend due to the storm.
- Scroll down to see the video of the landing.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
ADVERTISEMENT
Video shows the moment a double-tiered Airbus A380 made a sideways 'crab' landing while battling 50 mph winds at Heathrow Airport
Twitter/ABC
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
An agonizing video shows the moment a two-tiered Airbus A380 was forced to land sideways at London Heathrow Airport as high winds pummeled the UK.
The Etihad aircraft used the "crosswind" or "crab" landing tactic during its arrival from Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Sky News reported .
The aircraft, which weighs 1.2 million lb, is the world's largest passenger plane. It is typically flown by two pilots, according to Sky News.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hundreds of flights in and out of the UK were canceled due to high winds from Storm Dennis, which struck the UK over the weekend. EasyJet alone canceled more than 230 flights on Saturday alone, Metro newspaper reported .
Watch the video of the landing, taken by planespotters at SpeedbirdTV , here:
This kind of landing is typically attempted in a "crosswind" when high winds are blowing across runways and pilots of incoming aircraft have to face their planes into the prevailing wind as a means of stabilizing the plane before landing.
Les Westbrooks, a retired airline pilot and current aeronautical professor, told Business Insider's Alex Appolonia how this landing works:
"At the last minute, we want to move the nose of the aircraft parallel with the runway, but soon as we do that, the aircraft's gonna start blowing off to the side of the runway with the wind," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"So in order to counteract that, we'd lower the wing, the upwind wing, we lower the wing, and straighten the nose out, and a perfect crosswind landing will be when the upwind wheel touches down first, the aircraft is straight down the runway, and then the second wheel will come down after that."
Storm Dennis brought high winds and record rainfall in the UK, with meteorologists recording 91 mph winds in Aberdaron, western Wales, on Saturday evening. Authorities have put in severe flood warnings across England and Wales.
Read more :
- Delta says it will spend $1 billion to be carbon neutral, the latest airline announcing a radical shift to make flying less destructive
- Airbus unveiled a futuristic plane prototype with one giant wing and no separate fuselage
- I flew in a seaplane for the first time, and I'd say it's easily the most fun way to fly
- 14 Americans who got the coronavirus from the quarantined cruise ship in Japan were flown home in an 'isolation box' at the back of the plane
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also:
- The Boeing 737 Max crashes have revived decades-old fears about what happens when airplane computers become more powerful than pilots
- A United flight was one of several locked down in London when a passenger developed symptoms consistent with the coronavirus
- Boeing is flying the 737 Max around the US with test crews and no passengers to prepare for the plane's return
FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
The global workforce is set to collapse without Africa
500 millionaires fall off in Kenya - here’s why
Top 10 African countries with the most centi-millionaires in 2024
7 most influential Africans in the world 2024 -TIME
5 African countries with the least expensive freelancers
African billionaires are fleeing their home continent amidst economic downturn
Fear of a new epidemic pushes President Putin to collaborate with Africa
Nigerian chess master to begin 58-hour Guinness World Record attempt at Times Square today
