BA...Two in a Row :)))

[JanetFlight]

Very close to a nose gear first ... and a nose gear second »»»

twitter.com/i/status/1762200267796140462

Very close to a tailstrike first ... and a tailstrike second »»»

twitter.com/i/status/1762228281040937297

[rog747]

Rather posteriorly clenching on those two....

[DaveReidUK]

The first of those two events appears to have needed some prolonged discussion (almost 40 minutes' worth) after the initial go-around:



The second event was followed by another 4 consecutive GAs, presumably while the runway was being inspected and before arrivals could be switched to 09R.

[rog747]

Hindsight of course, but should LHR have really closed RWY 23 ?

[PAXboy]

If I recall correctly, using 23 closed both the others. As 23 was short, you would lose a long runway. I sit to be corrected.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

If I recall correctly, using 23 closed both the others. As 23 was short, you would lose a long runway. I sit to be corrected.

No, at least one of the two east/west runways (possibly both) would still be used when 23 was in use. Otherwise, the airport would have ground to a halt.

[wiggy]

Looking at the twitter footage in the OP I'm not sure 23 would have helped .....

DRUK may know this - when did 05 cease being an option....same time as 23 closed?

[rog747]

Yes as DaveReidUK explains, 23 was the Landing runway due to the strong Crosswinds and Gales blowing usually from the South.
23 was used when the mean cross wind component on the main runways exceeded 25kts.
Configuration would be 28R for departures and 28L/23 for arrivals.
Pilots indicating which one they wanted on first contact with Approach.

Radar to visual or surveillance radar approaches only to 23. No ILS.
It was, I gather, a real pain to use from an ATC point of view.
Horrendous taxi routes and lots of runway crossings on the ground.
Strange vectoring, SRA's, usually always in nasty weather with Gales, and strong winds that would make it fun on the Approach side coming in over the Gas Holder.
I had many Jump Seat landings on to 23.

Never ever remember seeing anything big Take Off on 23 except a Brymon Dash -7.
The reciprocal RWY 05 was IIRC OOU, before much of my time working at LHR.

Terminal 4's Stand expansions was the catalyst in RWY 23 closing.
It was much used as a taxi-way when not in use as a Runway.

[wiggy]

​​​​​​The reciprocal RWY 05 was IIRC OOU, before much of my time working at LHR.

Likewise...as you say the T4 stands came into the equation and I was wondering if 05 was off the cards once work started on T4???

[treadigraph]

I can't ever recall seeing 05 being used on any of my visits which started in '75, and a few arrivals opting for 23 only on a couple of occasions.

As I recall the burning BOAC 707 was landed on 05 in '68?

[kcockayne]

I was at LATCC, West Drayton from 1971 to ‘73 & can remember only one day when 05L was in use for landing traffic. I well remember seeing a KLM DC8-63 (or was it a 61 ?) running downwind LH for 05L - presumably on a visual. I reckon this was in ‘72, but it could have been ‘73.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by kcockayne

I was at LATCC, West Drayton from 1971 to ‘73 & can remember only one day when 05L was in use for landing traffic. I well remember seeing a KLM DC8-63 (or was it a 61 ?) running downwind LH for 05L - presumably on a visual. I reckon this was in ‘72, but it could have been ‘73.

I don't think you mean 05L - that closed in the early 1960s, along with its reciprocal, at which point 05R/23L became simply the aforementioned 05/23.

I'm too young(!) to remember any runways other than Nos 1, 2 and 5.

[kcockayne]

You may well have the advantage on me there, Dave - 50+ years ago ! However, we were definitely on 05 landings that day, so it must have been for 05R. It was a morning duty with NE gale & I went out for a break into the car park, to see the DC8 tearing D/W to the west of West Drayton town. Quite an impressive sight. If I remember my geography correctly, it would have been a tight D/W for 05L !

[ploughman67]

Started flying commercially in 1990 and landed on 05 only once in my career (B757), sometime around 91/92. From memory it was the creation of the Tango stands at T4 that heralded the death knell for 05. Obviously 23 soldiered on for a good few years more, last landing on that would have been in a B737 in 2002 (?)

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by ploughman67

Obviously 23 soldiered on for a good few years more, last landing on that would have been in a B737 in 2002 (?)

Same year that it closed, in fact - last ever landing on it was a SAA 747 on 27th October.