Saturday December 1, 2018
Shocking footage shows a plane having to take off immediately after a "hard landing" forced it to abort its first attempt.
The clip was taken by plane enthusiast Jonathan Winton at Newcastle Airport on Thursday.
An Emirates Boeing 777, arriving from Dubai, was caught in heavy crosswinds during Storm Diana.
Explaining what happened, Mr Winton posted on YouTube: "The wind had been gusting at around 25 [28mph] to 31kts [35mph] this Thursday morning.
"Having established on the approach for runway 25 and been cleared to land by the controller, it looked like a normal approach in the challenging crosswinds from the south."As the 777 disappeared behind the hedge before touching down, it slammed down onto runway 25, the spoilers deployed, and the next thing full power was applied for a go around.
"I've never seen anything like it here at Newcastle Airport. The aircraft then came in for a second approach and landed safely.
"Upon landing the aircraft was inspected and initially there was thought to be damage to the rear landing gear. Upon further inspection though it was deemed safe to fly and the aircraft departed Newcastle for Dubai 45 minutes later than planned."
Dai Whittingham, chief executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee, told Mail Online : "High winds in themselves are not dangerous but they can certainly be inconvenient, especially if the wind direction is across the runway.
"All pilots train to land in high crosswind conditions and will have practiced to the aircraft limits in the simulator."
Gardener Mr Winton, 20, of Alnwick, Northumberland, said: "The winds didn't feel particularly strong at first but as we got a bit higher up they suddenly hit.
"I'm a huge aviation fan so for me it was incredible to watch, but for those with a fear of flying it must have been pretty hair-raising."
A spokesperson for Newcastle International Airport confirmed that there were no cancellations or delays as a result of Storm Diana.