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The Guardian

A Virgin Atlantic plane carrying 447 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport on Monday after landing gear problems hit a US-bound flight.
Watch: Virgin 747 makes dramatic emergency landing at London Gatwick

Hundreds of holidaymakers applauded in relief after their pilot returned the Boeing 747 to base safely following an unconventional journey that included dumping fuel at sea and flying low over the Gatwick control tower twice so that air traffic controllers could scrutinise the main undercarriage with binoculars.
A spokesman for Gatwick airport said that all the passengers had disembarked from the plane - originally headed to Las Vegas - and that “some minor injuries” had been reported.
The runway at Britain’s second largest airport was closed for several hours, with incoming flights diverted to alternative airports and departing aircraft delayed as the drama affected the travel plans of thousands of passengers.
Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic president, praised the crew of flight VS43. In a Twitter posting, he said: “Well done Virgin Atlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience.”
Emergency services had been on standby as the giant aircraft came into land. Eyewitnesses reported that the jet was flying at a relatively low altitude, as the pilot appeared to be trying to shake the landing gear down.

	...We were told we would have to get into the brace position for a landing and it was then that everybody did start to get scared

	Passenger Holly Jackson
Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said it was “anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and (we were) just waiting for the captain’s next announcement.”
Fellow passenger Holly Jackson said the crew tried to “deliberately bounce” the plane to get the faulty landing gear back into position.
She told Sky News: “They said this was a precautionary procedure, or something like that. But it didn’t work and we were told we would have to get into the brace position for a landing and it was then that everybody did start to get scared.”
Well done @virginatlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of #VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience
	— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 29, 2014
The passengers’ ordeal began four hours previously, when Flight VS43 left for Las Vegas at 11.44am with 447 passengers and 15 crew onboard. However, it hit problems before it reached the edge of UK airspace. The pilot had identified a problem with the landing gear, a technical issue that meant one of the five wheel sets would not descend. Instead of completing its transatlantic journey, the plane would, the captain announced, be turning back.
The vagaries of landing one of the world’s biggest passenger jets meant that fuel had to be dumped en route, to bring it down to the target weight for a safe return. But the pilot was also attempting another part of what Virgin Atlantic termed a “non-standard landing procedure”- hoping the movement of the plane could shake down the landing gear where automation had failed. So began hours of circling around Gatwick and the South Downs, tracing a dense, bright green circle on flight tracking websites and alerting a small army of plane spotters.
At the airport, there came the relatively routine statement that emergency services were on standby “purely as a precaution”. But passengers reported that the mood on the aircraft had changed when the announcement came that there would, after all, be an emergency landing, and that they would have to adopt the brace position. Crane said some passengers had cried.
Passenger Mike Kaufman, speaking to Sky News from his seat on the plane back at Gatwick, said: “This was one of the greatest emergency landings in history. It was very smooth.”
He praised the pilots and the cabin crew, saying the landing at just before 4pm had been “textbook”. But, he admitted: “We didn’t realise there would be such a fuss, because it had been such a calm experience. It was probably less dramatic than watching it on the TV.”
He said: “The fact everything went so well shows just how professional the flight crew were. The crew were calm. We had a safety briefing two hours before we landed and when we were told we would have to go into the brace position for landings a sigh went around the plane.”
He added: “We were talking about going on a rollercoaster ride when we got to Las Vegas. That is off the menu now.”
A spokesman for the British pilots’ trade union, Balpa, said: “Pilots train hard for exactly this kind of situation. It goes to show that well-trained pilots are vital.”
Chief Superintendent Martin Walker of Sussex police said: “Our co-ordinated partnership response is part of a well-rehearsed emergency procedure. We are delighted that the plane has landed safely and we will continue to support the operation where we’re needed.”
 


Video: Virgin jet makes dramatic emergency landing in London after landing gear fails

Sparks can be seen coming from the undercarriage as the plane lands at Gatwick Airport. Photo: Screenshot

Virgin Atlantic Flight VS43 tilts on its right side after making a dramatic emergency landing at Gatwick Airport. Photo: AP

Over 40 bodies recovered at sea as debris pulled from possible AirAsia crash site

Pictures taken in the search for AirAsia flight QZ8501 appear to show debris floating in the water. Photo: AFP

Indonesian search and rescue teams board a vessel that would set off from Belitung Island, near where the airplane may have crashed. Photo: AFP

The US military is sending the USS Sampson missile destroyer (above) to aid in the search. Photo: AFP

Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team are ferried out to a ship to conduct search operations for QZ8501. Photo: AFP

The next of kin of passengers on the AirAsia flight QZ8501 huddle in prayer at the Surabaya airport, where they have gathered to wait for news. Photo: AP

Minister of Transport Jusman Syafii Djamal appears on Kompas TV, describing a box-like object seen in the search zone. Photo: Kompas


Sunu Widiatmoko (R), president of AirAsia's Indonesian subsidiary, Indonesia-AirAsia, answers questions during a press conference at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. Photo: AFP

Sunu Widiatmoko (R), president of Indonesia-AirAsia, looks on as Surabaya search and rescue chief Hernanto (2nd L) speaks during a press conference. Photo: AFP

Is it a life jacket? Indonesian authorities said a number of objects had been spotted in the water. Photo: AFP

Western Indonesia Air Force operation commander Air Vice Marshal Agus Dwi Putranto (L) briefs crews during search for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, on December 30, 2014. Photo: AFP

Family members of passengers onboard AirAsia flight QZ8501, react to news of floating debris spotted in the search area. Photo: AFP

A search and rescue expert hangs from a rope above a body floating in the sea at the site of the AirAsia crash. Photo: TVOne

Relatives of the missing are distraught after news breaks that the plane has been found. Photo: AFP

China sends warship to help in search for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501

Singapore Air Force personnel search the Java Sea yesterday for any signs of the missing AirAsia jet that vanished on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Hongkonger Choi Chi-man was a passenger on the plane.

Family members of people on AirAsia flight QZ8501 pray togather at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. Photo: Xinhua

A specialist from Singapore's Ministry of Transport's Air Accident Investigation Bureau showcases a set of underwater locator beacon detector that will be used to assist in locating the flight recorders of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 plane. Photo: Reuters

A member of Indonesian search and rescue team shows the possible location of AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. Photo: Xinhua

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