Nay MinAlmost every day in the news, there’s fresh stories about airplanes going missing or being involved in accidents. But, every now and then we hear about the heroic pilots that restore our faith air travel.
Enter: Captain Myat Moe Aung, who successfully landed a jet with no front wheels in Myanmar, after landing gear failed to deploy.
The pilot landed the Myanmar National Airlines flight, which had been travelling from Yangon, by skidding down the runway before grinding to a halt, with all 89 passengers – rather impressively – avoiding injury.
Captain Myat circled Mandalay airport twice in the Embraer 190, while air traffic controllers on the ground determined if the landing gear was down.
He’s been praised for the landing after he successfully followed emergency procedures by burning excess fuel to reduce the plane’s weight, the airline has revealed.
The flight was carrying 89 passengers and a crew of seven when it touched down in Madalay at around 9am – a city which is popular with foreign tourists, BBC News reports.
Shocking footage, that could potentially put you off air travel for life, has emerged showing the plane landing on its back wheels before the nose of the jet touches the runway. The aircraft skidded for about 25 seconds before eventually coming to a standstill.
PA ImagesWin Khant, Myanmar’s transport minister has praised the pilot, telling Reuters news agency, ‘the pilot did a great job.’
According to Ye Aung, deputy director general of Myanmar’s civil aviation department, the pilot had attempted to deploy the front landing gear, first through the computer system and then again manually.
He told The Guardian:
They tried hard twice by flying around twice and asked [the flight tower] to check whether the nose wheel dropped or not.
So they had to land with the back wheels … The pilot could land it skillfully. There were no casualties.
Biman Bangladesh Airline skidded off the runway during go around at Yangon International Airport. pic.twitter.com/Em50SwKZVD
— Nay Myo Tin (@naymyotin) May 8, 2019
However, another Myanmar pilot wasn’t so lucky earlier in the week when his Binman Bangladesh Airlines plane skidded off the runway at Yangon’s international airport.
The incident is thought to be a result of poor weather conditions, and while 17 people are reported to be injured, a spokesperson has confirmed no one suffered ‘life threatening’ injuries.
Pictures have been shared on social media, showing the extent of the damage on the BG060, and they’re definitely not for people who have a fear of flying. The body of the plane seems to be crumpled, while the wings also look as if they’ve suffered the brunt of the damage.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.