Viral Video Catches 747 Hard Landing

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Lufthansa 747-8 experienced a hard landing and subsequent porpoising during a training exercise at LAX.
  • The flight crew initiated a go-around, successfully landing the aircraft on the second attempt.
  • After initial inspections by the crew and technical staff, the aircraft was deemed airworthy for its return flight to Frankfurt, where it will undergo further maintenance.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0V0BuzdbvQ

The Queen of the Skies is one tough old bird. Lufthansa has confirmed what all 345 people onboard one of its 747-8s already knew when the aircraft thundered onto LAX’s Runway 24 on Wednesday. The airline said there was training going on when the plane hit hard and began to porpoise before the crew firewalled it for a go-around. The video was captured during Airline Videos Live’s streaming of the comings and goings at LAX.

The airline said the flight crew and maintenance had a look after the second successful try and declared the plane reusable for the return flight to Frankfurt. “Following an assessment by the cockpit crew, a consultation with the technical department on site and in Frankfurt and an initial visual inspection, the aircraft (registration D-ABYP) flew back to Frankfurt,” Lufthansa said in a statement. Maintenance staff will give it another going-over at the home base.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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