Go-around at Stansted

[Blues&twos]

Hello. I was on a Ryanair flight last night LRH-STN, on approach STN at approx 18.20 (so it was dark) when we had to go around. Our next attempt was a normal landing, apart from what I thought was heavier than normal braking - although I'm not a veteran of STN, so I might be wrong on that point. However, I noticed the fire trucks on the apron with their blues flashing as we touched down. No problems as far as I could tell, nothing dramatic.

I asked the cabin crew about it as I left, and was told that the reason for the GA was "a squirrel on the runway"....

I'm assuming that if this is true (why would they not say if there had been a problem?), the fire trucks were just there testing their lights by coincidence.

Anyone "in the know" confirm this? Cheers!

B&t

[TightSlot]

Dunno for sure, but there is another, larger, kind of squirrel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Ecureuil) that may have been the problem?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Eurocopter_AS-355N_Ecureuil_2.jpg

[Blues&twos]

Certainly easier to spot in the dark than the mammalian variety.....and would probably cause a bigger problem if ingested, I imagine.:uhoh:

[Musket90]

Fire Service Watch changeover is around the time you landed when they check vehicle serviceability, including blues. So this may be what you saw.

[Blues&twos]

Thanks Musket. In the total absence of anything exciting happening, I thought a coincidental test was likely.

Tell you what though, someone must have bloody good eyesight to spot and identify a squirrel on the tarmac in the dark!! The little buggers nicked some of the bulbs from our neighbour's outside xmas illuminations last year. Maybe this one was being a bit more ambitious and was making off with the runway lights.

[tezzer]

Better than having him run off with your nuts !