This is one of the worst landings you will see. It took
place at London City airport. The Millennium dome is in the left side of the
picture. The airport itself is located
on the river Thames in downtown London and gives business people very quick
access to the city. The runway is only
1199 meters long, which is very short in airline runway terms, thus it is
only suitable for aircraft with good STOL (short take-off and landing)
performance.
The BAe 146 was the main jet type
to operate into the place. Most other
aircraft were turbo props etc. It also has a 5.5 degree glide slope, as opposed
to the conventional 3 degree slope to most runways. This added to the
complexity, particularly in bad weather.
When doing the approach you have to be fully configured, i.e. gear down,
full flap and speed brakes before you commence descent from 3000 feet otherwise
the beast cannot be slowed down.
Most airlines have 'stabilized'
criteria when making an approach. eg, correct speed, correct slope, configured
etc. If it doesn't look or feel right
it is generally a good idea to go around and make another attempt. For whatever
reason, these guys decided to continue on.