London-bound passengers coming from the usually sunny skies of California had a terrifying experience after running into gusty winds.
Experts say it’s during the take-offs and landings that flights are considered most dangerous, so no one would blame passengers for being terrified when pilots had difficulty setting the American Airlines Boeing 777 on the ground.
Footage of the December 27th landing during Storm Gerrit shows the plane battling a heavy crosswind just before 11:40 am local time and “bouncing” several times before finally landing for good at Heathrow Airport.
“UPI reported that the weather conditions encountered by the plane were part of a system that brought heavy snow, high winds and rain to parts of Scotland, as well as flooding across the U.K.,” according to Fox News Digital.
It didn’t take long for footage of the harrowing ordeal to show up on social media where viewers chimed in with their reactions and praise for the pilots.
An American Airlines flight could be seen drifting on its approach at Heathrow Airport, with the crew struggling to bring the plane to a safe landing.
Winds on Wednesday were gusting up to 40 mph at the airport and in Greater London. pic.twitter.com/wAoW7xBxm8
— ABC News (@ABC) December 28, 2023
I’m praising those pilots!
— Denise Ashley (@Dashley00x) December 28, 2023
You’re not alone!
Gusty winds due to storm Gerrit over UK – hat off for the pilots who managed to land the bird …. I imagine the voice off might be the same for passengers inside the aircraft….
— Yves Constant (@lemarin60) December 29, 2023
Kudos to the pilot and crew…
— Gary Rodgers (@GaryW_Rodgers) December 29, 2023
Nothing to worry about actually. If the pilot is landing it is because they are within the approved operational ranges ( Wind, speed, weight, etc) of the type of aircraft they are flying.
— Foreigner (@ForeignerJose) December 29, 2023
“Nothing to worry about”? Easy for you to say!
sick bags for the passengers, clean underwear for the pilot
— NSH (@hirednailgun) December 29, 2023
Exactly!
At least it was great to see the flight end without catastrophe.
It appears wherever one may be flying to these days could land them in a tumultuous situation whether it’s due to wind, rain, or with people’s unhinged antics. Seemingly endless videos of passengers melting down, or fighting in planes or at airports have been filling social media platforms for months.
The latest news-making scene was when a Florida man began to berate a wheelchair-bound woman in North Carolina after reportedly learning his flight home was delayed. Not taking the news well, an accountant identified as Dustin Miller threw a temper tantrum befitting of a two-year-old.
It’s unclear if it’s the stress of flying, anxiety from the crazy times we’re living in, or just the ease and abundance of cell phone recordings that’s contributing to the appearance of an increasing amount of disturbing scenes and behavior.
What is clear, is we’re indebted to the pilots and airport authorities that are able to keep their cool, despite it all.
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