Originally Posted by
underfire
"Passenger say minutes before the flight crashed, one of the pilots made an announcement that there was a problem with the landing gear and that the plane would be making an emergency landing."
These media reports seem to originate with a Keralite journalist based in Dubai:
Passengers evacuated from an Emirates flight say that minutes before the flight crash-landed at Dubai airport, the pilot made an announcement that he needed to make an emergency landing.
Iype Vallikadan, a reporter from Indian newspaper "Mathrubhumi News," says the passengers said the pilot spoke to them as the plane neared Dubai on Wednesday, saying there was a problem with the landing gear and that he would make an emergency landing.
The Latest: Dubai's ruler names, mourns killed firefighter - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL
Of course, with the news cycle, the item morphed into:
A passenger, Iype Vallikadan, said the pilot had announced there was a problem with the landing gear as the plane neared Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and he would make an emergency landing, the Associated Press reported.
Emirates plane crash-lands with 300 aboard; 1 firefighter killed
Also, a UK media source says the plane 'caught fire in mid-air' and the captain 'sent out and [sic] emergency signal':
British passengers were caught up in mid-air terror after a Emirates airline plane caught fire in mid-air and dramatically crash-landed at Dubai International Airport.
Twenty-four Brits were among the 300 passengers on board the Boeing 777-300 jet when it smashed down onto the runway at around 1pm local time (10am UK time).
Miraculously, no-one was seriously hurt in the crash and passengers were evacuated just minutes before the plane exploded into flames.
The three-hour flight took off from Trivandrum International Airport in India at around 6am UK time before the captain is understood to have sent out and emergency signal shortly before the plane was due to land.
Eye-witnesses described seeing huge plumes of smoke rising from the plane before it crashed down onto the runway.
Emirates airline plane 'crash lands at Dubai International Airport after mid-air fire drama' with 24 Brits on board - Mirror Online
And, this early report here:
Originally Posted by
Avionyx
Have heard from a friend who's at DXB this Morning that Smoke could be seen while it was on approach.
Good job involved for getting it down and everybody off safely.
Was the PA the one made after the aircraft came to a stop and the reporter got it wrong? And were the flames perhaps after an initial hard landing and bounce?
I'm wondering if the initial touchdown did so much damage that the plane, perhaps fortuitously in this case, was unable to do a two engine go around? The Air Canada 621 crash in 1970 in YYZ comes to mind.