by Boss_BlueAngels » Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:08 am
Well, I wouldn't really be so quick to jump on the guy. As one of my professors says, there are two types of pilots who fly retractable gear... those who have landed with the gear up, and those who will. Having a distraction, compounded by lack of sleep and proper nurishment can very easily lead to an omission of an important item. ALSO it is very easy for us to sit here and say, well, if I knew I wasn't feeling 100% I would ground myself. Unfortunately not everyone realizes that is the best idea, but also commercial pilots can get a lot of grief for "grounding" themselves. There can be a lot of pressure out there, both external and internal.
Also, his responses were quick enough to notice the fact he hadn't touched down, and reacted very quickly to "save" the situation. Considering there are only a couple of feet for the pilot to realize the problem, I'd say he was pretty aware of what was going on.
And there are a lot of accidents with experienced pilots doing belly landings.
The day is always better when you're flying upside down.
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