BrownFox77 Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Arrived on FRI on China Air FLT 695 from Taipei. When we hit the runway at Don Muang it was quite an event. We hit the runway so hard the 747 bounced 3 times. That initial bounce was so hard I really thought there would be many spinal cord injuries. During the 1st bounce up was wnen I was really worried though as the plane seemed to be losing stability and was going into a sudden turn, then we "SMASHED" into a 2nd bounce and it still wasn't very stable yet and everyone was on edge, then finally the 3rd bounce (which was more like a normal "hard" landing) and we seemed to straigten out and regain stability. I commented to some of my fellow passengers just then that I really think we might have been very close to cart wheeling and all of us being burned alive. I've been on hundreds of flights over the years and NEVER had a "landing" like this. Only thing I could think is that somehow the pilot didn't realize we were that close to the ground during our descent? Not sure if there's any pilots here, but I wonder if we really could've lost it then...! I have to take that same 747 back, really hope there wasn't any structural damage that occurred from that "landing". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Just another reason I don't fly that airline. Remember the bangkok to taiwan flight that landed upside down a few years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooNoi Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Wow. You're a lucky boy! Must have been quite a scare. Who's to say what happened? I have my private pilot's licence - definitely not qualified to fly "the big boys", but the principles of flying are the same. As for what happened to you...Pilot error? Maybe. Though could have been other factors. Windshear is also a potential cause. (One aviation site describes windshear as: "By definition, a windshear is a weather event involving abrupt changes in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. Windshears occurring at ground level are more accurately referred to as downbursts. If the windshear encounter began at a low altitude, such as it would during a take off or landing, the overall loss of altitude may cause the aircraft to fly directly into the ground with catastrophic results." Though BKK is definitely not an airport known for strong winds, and therefore not known for windshear, but anything's possible on a day-to-day basis. Especially if the wet season is starting up in BKK now, which it is. The winds are pretty predictable at BKK airport - you may have noticed that about 95% of the time, planes land and take off on runways 21 Left or Right - towards the south-west. You can get some nasty cross-winds that test a pilot's mettle at times - the runway's at BKK are both parallel, so cross-winds do have an effect. When an aircraft lands on "auto-land", the pilot in command actually takes control of the aircraft when the aircraft is still in the air - sometimes at 3000 feet, sometimes 1000 feet - it depends on the pilot and the aircraft. There could have been a small malfunction with the auto-land function on this aircraft, though that's unlikely. The altimiters could have been set by the pilots incorrectly which could put them out by a few feet. It could also have been a problem with the hydraulics associated with the landing gear. Or a major fuck up by the pilot! :: These are just a few ideas. As I said, I am not a pilot of a large airliner, but I'm sure there was a board member here a while back who was a retired pilot. Someone might know out there! Bottom line is that you're safe 'n' sound and free to sanuk! As for travelling back on the same aircraft, China Air have a few 747's, so chances are you won't get the same aircraft. Cheers, Fly P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo_bill Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 This accident happened on a Bangkok-Hongkong flight, pilot Italian , problem was shearwind , can happen. MD11 hard to land anyway. This airline by the way is called China Airlines . BuBi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKKNUT Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 sounds like I would be more worried about same pilots than same plane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo_bill Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 nuts, I used to be a China Airlines fanatic till I found out that my life is too precious and since then do not use them any more. Their service was best and their attendants were the sweetest. MD 11 used to be a frequently used plane by italian airlines and therefore creating many nationals familiar with this plane, another country is f.e. Finland for the MD11. China Airlines hired few of them for training purposes . The one from hongkong was one of them. It was not his qualification that caused the crash but a strong shearwind which let the plane capsize. The MD11 is sensitive here , Dutch Martinair had same problem years ago in Faro 7 portugal. Appraoch regulations at new hongkong Airport since then have been adjusted. The MD 11 is difficult to land due to the rear turbine . I am not a pilot but spent hours in MD11 cockpits watching and listening. Til Osama fucked it up that is. BuBi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 I am not familiar with that flight. If that flight was in the afternoon, it probably was when Bangkok was being hit with strong wind. I remember once landing a plane and get hit with a shear wind - it actually turned the plane 45 degrees. Imagining landing not true to the run way but at and angle of 45 degrees! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 If you get that 9am BKK TPE then it is the oldest fucking 747 I have ever seen in my life. The Airbus a340-400 are really nice but the 747s are in HORRID conditions and that leg from BKK to TPE where I flew it was not funny at all... Oneye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadaBing Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 buffalo_bill said:This accident happened on a Bangkok-Hongkong flight, pilot Italian , problem was shearwind , can happen. MD11 hard to land anyway. This airline by the way is called China Airlines . BuBi I remember that news very well , the boss of my companies HKG office was on it !! BadagroundedBing :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 And if you're really a thrill-seeker, then I suggest a flight on Orient Thai Airlines - just brush the cobwebs off the 165 year-old 747's before you board... They're so old that the navigation system is by sextant and sundials... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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