Korean Airliner lands blind

[R988]

http://video.news.com.au/?channel=Wo...300&format=wmp

No actual footage of the landing unfortunately but the plane is pretty beat up, top marks to the pilot!

[FLYBOYJ]

Pretty wild!

I know there is an autoland system slaved into the glideslope but usually its operation is usually limited.

[syscom3]

Good job by the pilot. But arent "blind" landings part of ILS training for commericial pilots?

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by syscom3

Good job by the pilot. But arent "blind" landings part of ILS training for commericial pilots?

Yes, but under normal conditions there is a minimum altitude where if you don't have a visual on the runway, you can't land. This is what is adhered to 90% of the time. I know there are system that will bring the aircraft down blind but they are only authorized under certian conditions at certain airports..

[sunny91]

Good video R988.

sunny

[Gnomey]

Pretty wild by the sounds of things! Good on the pilot for getting it down in (almost) one piece.

[pbfoot]

it all depends on the weather and the equipment on the aircraft i could'nt load the video so I'm not aware of the cause or did he not have enough gas to divert

[R988]

some more info for those who can't see the video

S Korean jet lands minus nose, radar and blind
Published: Sunday, 11 June, 2006, 09:11 AM Doha Time


Asiana Airlines staff look at their battered plane in Kimpo airport in Seoul on Friday
SEOUL: A South Korean jet with 200 passengers on board landed safely after hailstones blew off the plane’s nose, destroyed its radar and shattered the front cockpit windows, airline officials said yesterday. Asiana Airlines flight 8942 was pelted with hailstones late on Friday while flying to Seoul from the southern resort island of Cheju, a spokesman at the country’s second-largest carrier said.
“Hailstones took off the plane’s nose and cracked the cockpit window,” said the spokesman. The hail wrecked the housing for the main radar system and also punctured its engine covers.
“Our pilots had to land the jet manually without a view of what was ahead of them,” the spokesman said.
The cockpit windows of the Airbus 321 jet were made of safety glass and remained in place after shattering, but it was nearly impossible to see through the glass.
Small side windows in the cockpit remained intact. The spokesman said hail can cause enormous damage to a plane flying at high speeds. No injuries were reported. Among the passengers, were 177 elementary school students on a school tour, the spokesman added.
Pilot Lee Chang-ho and co-pilot Kim Yong-ik will receive commendations for landing the plane safely, he said.–Reuters

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topic...5&parent_id=25

[FLYBOYJ]

I just got in touch with my father in law (he flies A320s), he said the aircraft is equipped with an "autoland" system, all you need is an airport eqipped for ILS. You're supposed to adhere to the minimus published for the landing airport that are found in the approach chart (which means that you need to actually see the runway at a certain height under normal conditions). Although the aircraft can land itself this would be highly unnerving after getting pummeled with hail....