Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Rough Landing At LAX Confirmed As ‘Training Flight’

summary

Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-8I failed to land at LAX, but managed to go around and land safely on the second attempt.
No passengers or crew were injured in the incident, and Lufthansa confirmed that the aircraft was undamaged.
Comments on YouTube praised the strength of Boeing’s aircraft and attributed the accident to pilot error rather than aircraft failure.

The terrifying landing was streamed around the world on Airline Video Live, garnering a total of 1.2 million views and coverage on numerous news programs. As the footage gained notoriety, Lufthansa issued a statement regarding the event.

what happened?

On April 24, 2024, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I, the largest and last passenger version of the jumbo jet, flying from Frankfurt to Los Angeles made a very rough landing and subsequent recovery at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). I woke up. ).

This rough landing, also known as a balk landing, was caused by a trained pilot. The plane landed on the runway, bottoming out its landing gear and producing a large amount of tire smoke. The aircraft gains altitude after the first bounce, after which the pilot attempts to land again. He bounces twice before the aircraft turns.

Kevin Ray, owner and host of Airline Video Live, which filmed the footage, can be heard saying:

“Hey, hey, hey. I think that was the roughest landing I’ve ever seen on the air. Oh my god.”

At the time of the incident, there were 326 passengers and 19 crew members on board Flight LH456. The aircraft circled the airport and landed without incident.

Lufthansa statement

In a statement given to news producers KTLALufthansa said the incident occurred during a training flight.

“After evaluation by the cockpit crew, consultation with technical departments on site and in Frankfurt, and an initial visual inspection, the aircraft (registration D-ABYP) returned to Frankfurt.”

Photo: Ajuangon | Shutterstock

Despite the rough landing, no passengers or crew were injured during the landing.

After the plane arrived in Germany, Lufthansa mechanics said there was “nothing to find” and there was no damage to the plane, the airline said in a statement.

Manufactured by Boeing

Hard landings are not uncommon and occur quite often. However, the extent varies greatly. In case of a hard landing, a simple load report may be generated or, conversely, the aircraft may be written off.

In this case, it was the former, as the airline stated that there was no damage to the aircraft. This is a testament to the strength of the aircraft’s structure and design.

While such events are concerning, they also have the potential to lift public spirits about Boeing as a manufacturer.

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 parked at the gate at Frankfurt Airport.

Photo: Lukas Wunderlich | Shutterstock

All the comments on the YouTube video praise the aircraft and the build quality.

Rober_N said: “Incredible strength of the landing gear. The Queen never disappoints.”
Lofilob said, “Can I give a little respect to the technology in the tires and landing gear? Not to mention the people who design and build it. Man! Just amazing.”

db_flip said. “I’m a flight attendant on a 747. This plane can handle more than anyone knows, so don’t worry:)”

Many comments also criticized the news article for somehow portraying Boeing and the aircraft as defective, even though the incident was clearly a pilot error. Boeing may have lost its reputation as a safe and respectable manufacturer, but many passengers continue to fly on its planes.