Asymmetric landing gear extention
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Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Paris, London and New York
Asymmetric landing gear extention
Recently I have seen an incident/accident report of landing with asymmetrical landing gear extention. Crew elected to land with partial gear and stopped perfectly fine on the runway center line. My question to you fine people is which one is better, landing with no gear or landing with partial gear?
My craft manufacturer does not opine on the subject and emergency checklists have no asymmetrical extention option so it seems to leave decision to pilots. Arguments for landing asymmetricly would be at least partial braking and directional control as well as perhaps less demage to undercarrige. For retracted gear landing lesser chance of rolling the plane.
So whats your opinion ?
My craft manufacturer does not opine on the subject and emergency checklists have no asymmetrical extention option so it seems to leave decision to pilots. Arguments for landing asymmetricly would be at least partial braking and directional control as well as perhaps less demage to undercarrige. For retracted gear landing lesser chance of rolling the plane.
So whats your opinion ?
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
Joined: Mar 2000
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From: UK
My question to you fine people is which one is better, landing with no gear or landing with partial gear?
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 952
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From: Melbourne
Also is going to depend on which gear isn't down and your aircraft type (e.g. high or low wing, jet, turboprop, etc). As BOAC said, check the QRH.
I'd agree with that if it were the nose gear that hadn't come down. Not so sure if it were either main gear.
Arguments for landing asymmetricly would be at least partial braking and directional control as well as perhaps less demage to undercarrige.

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 280
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From: uk
As suggested already, follow the QRH. Most heavy jet manufacturers recommend landing with any available gear extended. This retains at least partial impact energy absorption and some, albeit limited, post touchdown braking and control. Aircraft evacuation slides are designed to cope with the unusual fuselage angles that might result from an assymetric gear landing.

Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Planet Earth
' #4 (permalink)
redsnail
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Join Date: Feb 1997
Location: Duit On Mon Dei
Posts: 3,726
Ours recommends that if the nose gear does not deploy, land all wheels up.
It's built to do that. '
What kind of Aircraft is that redsnail ?
redsnail
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Join Date: Feb 1997
Location: Duit On Mon Dei
Posts: 3,726
Ours recommends that if the nose gear does not deploy, land all wheels up.
It's built to do that. '
What kind of Aircraft is that redsnail ?






