Those who know aviation, or fly frequently, know how dangerous crosswind can be for a flight, attempting to land on a runway. Crosswind is a type of wind that dissects the runway, hitting the plane at a 90 degree angle, hence disturbing its flight path. During the landing, the speed of the plane is much less than that at a cruising altitude and hence, it becomes incredibly difficult for a pilot to navigate the phenomenon of crosswind and land a plane safely. Heavier the plane, easier it is to sustain the crosswind. However, smaller and lighter planes have to suffer most during severe crosswind.
One such incident was recorded on camera and has been shared widely on social media platforms including Twitter. As seen in a video, a Boeing 737 is seen approaching a runway to land, and during the final descent, it suffers massive crosswind force, altering the angle of approach of the plane. While it might be a jittery moment for the passengers, such crosswind landings are a nail biting experience for plane spotters as well.
Crosswind takeoff of a Boeing 737 during a storm!
Flugsnug pic.twitter.com/wSImLmNI9l
— Aviation (@ilove_aviation) March 31, 2023
However, the pilot was skilled enough to tackle such kind of situations and cautiously lands the plane without any incident. One can see plane hitting the runway at an angle of almost 45 degrees, and then straightens the plane to negate the force of crosswind. This kind of technique is often used by pilots for safe landing during such forceful winds.
Having said that, not everyone can land a plane in such conditions and we have seen in the past, pilots performing touch and go, rolling back the decision of landing at the runway at the very last moment due to the sheer force of the wind. Recently a video of a British Airways plane went viral where a pilot was forced to abort a landing at the Heathrow airport due to strong crosswind moments before touching down on the runway.
Strong crosswinds often test pilot’s capabilities and can be a major cause of concern for a plane’s safety. While pilot may choose to abort landing in such a case, it also raises questions on one’s competency and hence, it has been seen that many pilots fight with these crosswinds to land the plane in one go.
In case of strong crosswinds, the pilots often perform a go around, try another landing and in case of failure, go to the nearest available airport, causing trouble for the travellers.
