Crabbing it in
 

TUI pilot executes sideways landing of Boeing 757-200 at Bristol Airport | CNN Travel

Incredible landing. This pilot crabbed a 757 in the way I used to do it with a Cessna 150! I think if I'd been a passenger I'd have rather she went around, but I think this is the kind of stuff commercial pilots live for--getting to actually fly the plane.

WOW nice job of landing by that pilot , I wonder how many passengers soiled their shorts :D

Nice job. I wonder what the actual winds were?

was it the pilot or the plane doing the flying.

if your safe landing makes the news, should you have landed or gone to another airport.
wind direction or speed is not likely to change after a go around if things are that bad.

It sure looked like it was above the crosswind limit for that plane...

The crosswind limits are 25 kts with autopilot and 30 kts hand flown. Thats a good amount of crosswind. It looks like it was pretty steady (not gusting) and that helps a lot. The other aircraft in that clip looked like it was a little more gusty conditions. Also, a pilots desire to land rather than divert is proportional to how full his or her bladder is.

At an approach speed of about 130 kn, a 30 knot crosswind should give a crab angle of about 13°, if I calculated it correctly. It just seem like the plane was crabbing more than that. The description was of gale force winds, which is 34 knots and above, although the wind direction wasn't mentioned.

All in all, I would've preferred diverting to another airport, had I been a passenger...

It would have had to be a long way from Bristol as the whole west side of England and Wales was suffering from that gale. Most UK runways are oriented round about 02-20

We used to love to sit at the end of the runway and watch B-52 land with the landing gear rotated. It is weird to see the wheels pointing sideways.

By the looks of that, it should have been a divert. Our Airbus crosswind limits are 38 kts including gust. Not sure what the 75 limits are for that airline, but I think Boeing demonstrated limit is 30 kts not including gusts. Sure looks like it could have been more than that. Side loads are not good for aircraft mechanical components. However, I cannot judge since I was not in the cockpit. Great landing nonetheless given the conditions.

that is just soooo cool!

wouldn't want to have been on that plane but sure is neat to watch.

Bravery trumped responsabilty in this video. The pilot would have been to blame if he skidded it into the grass on it's belly/crashed.

Like many smaller airports, Bristol doesn't have a runway perpendicular to 27/60 on which this plane (and all others arriving Bristol) had to land. Although things turned out okay in this case, it's a pretty good example of why single strip airports can add an extra dose of danger/excitement (depending on one's perspective, I guess) to a traveler's day.

_

I saw a gif of this a few days ago but didn't have any context

Do commercial flights have actual limits?

For the small, general aviation airplanes I fly, there is no "limit". The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH- the airplane version of owner's manual) lists what the factory test pilots demonstrated during certification, but it is not a legal limit. Pilot's are allowed to exceed it if they so choose.

Admittedly I have not flown as sole pilot in >20y and I've never been an airline pilot (just small prop jobs)...
2 Q:

- Doesn't it seem to anyone else he didn't de-crab enough just before touch down, and put a hell of a lot of strain on the main gear ? I cringed when watching that snap change of direction upon touchdown.
- It looks awesome, makes for great media stuff, but.... isn't that their job? We tend to make everyone heroes these days in the media... I'd expect any certified airline pilot to have those skills. If I'm wrong about that, I need to rethink who I fly with....

Maybe it's just me asking for too much... Cool video - no argument.

I would have wanted to shake the pilots hand and then slap her in the back of the head!

I'm no pilot but I think I see that the plane is still supported by air at that precise moment. I think she turned it just in time. But what do I know? Only the pilot can tell you.

Edit: I watched it over and over full screen and flaps up at :23 right at touch down. So you're correct!

WHAT?????? That was crazy!

Female pilot with bigger brass than I've got. Of course, that's not saying much.