Virgin Atlantic pilot lands 447 passengers safely in Gatwick drama

Applause for the crew of Virgin flight to Las Vegas follows ‘non-standard landing procedure’ after landing gear fails

A detailed view of the undercarriage of the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 as it passed overhead at Gatwick airport, before landing safely. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

A Virgin Atlantic plane carrying 447 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing at Gatwick after landing gear problems hit a US-bound flight.
Hundreds of holidaymakers applauded in relief after their pilot returned the Boeing 747 to base safely following an unconventional journey that included dumping fuel at sea and flying low over the Gatwick control tower twice so that air traffic controllers could scrutinise the main undercarriage with binoculars.
A spokesman for Gatwick airport said that all the passengers had disembarked from the plane – originally headed to Las Vegas – and that “some minor injuries” had been reported.
The runway at Britain’s second largest airport was closed for several hours, with incoming flights diverted to alternative airports and departing aircraft delayed as the drama affected the travel plans of thousands of passengers.

Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic president, praised the crew of flight VS43. In a Twitter posting, he said: “Well done VirginAtlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience.”
Emergency services had been on standby as the giant aircraft came into land.
Eyewitnesses reported that the jet was flying at a relatively low altitude, as the pilot appeared to be trying to shake the landing gear down.
Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said it was “anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and [we were] just waiting for the captain’s next announcement.”

A close up of the landing gear of a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet landing at Gatwick airport after the plane developed a landing-gear fault. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Fellow passenger Holly Jackson said the crew tried to “deliberately bounce” the plane to get the faulty landing gear back into position.
She told Sky News: “They said this was a precautionary procedure, or something like that. But it didn’t work and we were told we would have to get into the brace position for a landing and it was then that everybody did start to get scared.”
The passengers’ ordeal began four hours previously, when Flight VS43 left for Las Vegas at 11.44am with 447 passengers and 15 crew on board. However, it hit problems before it reached the edge of UK airspace. The pilot had identified a problem with the landing gear, a technical issue that meant one of the five wheel sets would not descend. Instead of completing its transatlantic journey, the plane would, the captain announced, be turning back.

The flight crew are helped to disembark the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

The vagaries of landing one of the world’s biggest passenger jets meant that fuel had to be dumped en route, to bring it down to the target weight for a safe return. But the pilot was also attempting another part of what Virgin Atlantic termed a “non-standard landing procedure” – hoping the movement of the plane could shake down the landing gear where automation had failed. So began hours of circling around Gatwick and the South Downs, tracing a dense, bright green circle on flight tracking websites and alerting a small army of planespotters.
At the airport there came the relatively routine statement that emergency services were on standby “purely as a precaution”. But passengers reported that the mood on the aircraft had changed when the announcement came that there would, after all, be an emergency landing, and that they would have to adopt the brace position. Crane said some passengers had cried.
Passenger Mike Kaufman, speaking to Sky News from his seat on the plane back at Gatwick, said: “This was one of the greatest emergency landings in history. It was very smooth.”

Emergency vehicles attend to the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

He praised the pilots and the cabin crew, saying the landing at just before 4pm had been “textbook”. But, he admitted: “We didn’t realise there would be such a fuss, because it had been such a calm experience. It was probably less dramatic than watching it on the TV.”
He said: “The fact everything went so well shows just how professional the flight crew were. The crew were calm. We had a safety briefing two hours before we landed and when we were told we would have to go into the brace position for landings a sigh went around the plane.”
He added: “We were talking about going on a rollercoaster ride when we got to Las Vegas. That is off the menu now.”
A spokesman for the British pilots’ trade union, Balpa, said: “Pilots train hard for exactly this kind of situation. It goes to show that well-trained pilots are vital.”
Chief Superintendent Martin Walker of Sussex police said: “Our co-ordinated partnership response is part of a well-rehearsed emergency procedure. We are delighted that the plane has landed safely and we will continue to support the operation where we’re needed.”