Passenger Aircraft Forced To Make Emergency Landing At Belfast International Airport

I don't know anything about it all; other than what the report says.I reckon had I been in that plane I would have been scared. I reckon the pilot and his crew were well trained in what to do and did it. I think the pilot also knew about the particular aircraft he was flying and took the actions appropriate to that aircraft. I am glad everyone landed safely. I think most of the posts debating the actions of the pilot and aircraft are supersition and are to be disregarded. I think there are too many "experts" out there who know better. I hope everyone has a really good day.

Nothing much to say really except some of the comments on here are humerous and sometimes a bit near the knuckle, I love it and it makes me laugh.

i was on a airbus a320 when its hydrolics failed on landing at gatwick on jan 3 2012 from cuba is it safe to fly with them any more with there money troubles ..theres cutting costs and cutting corners
are thomas cook cutting corners to keep going

jenglow wrote:
"yes, unlike the 'anoraks' and plabe spotters who have written so much drivel on this subject, I infact worked on Condors Boeing fleet in Frankfurt for over 5 years. If it had been a B757, it would not have needed to burn off fuel, as its maximun approved landing weight, is much higher than an A320"

Well that's more drivel.
The maximum take off weight of a 757-300 exceeds the maximum landing weight by about 6000lbs, so it may well have needed to burn off fuel before landing.

Anybody with any fear of flying should read a book called, Fling Without Fear and they will feel 100% better the next time they fly, honest!! brilliant book, james mcclean scotland.

Many of us chose to fly to our destinations and the vast majority of flights are smooth and without problems. There will be a few mishaps as there are on our roads Railways etc, but thank goodness they are few. We must put our trust in the hands of Professional pilots be they in the air or on the ground. Life must go on.

I will never forget the time my daughters flight had to return following take off due to a massive bird strike. I nearly fainted on the spot at the thought of them landing with one burning engine.
Luckily the pilot released the fuel from the plane. Following an emergancy landing in crash positions with fire engines at the ready etc they landed safetly. It is horrendous..My thoughts are with these passangers and their families..

If it had to burn off fuel why the hell did it not achieve this by going to its destination. Its still got to land somewhere problem or not.

Oh dear, ignorance is bliss I supose. The uneducated reporting and comments are astounding.
It is perfectly normal when receieving a warning advice in the cockpit to use up some fuel, because you cannot dump it on and Airbus & some Boeings to acheive a safe landing weight. It could just be a faulty sensor or an undercarriage door not secure. All quite normal things on all aircraft.

Glad I was not on that plane!

Oh, Forgot to add. The picture in the headline is a A321 not a A320.

The reason it had to circle for so long is the A320 hasn't got a facility to dump fuel. So had to burn it off instead.

More poor reporting by the Huffington Post. The A320 can carry around 220 passengers and crew, not 150 as stated in the article.

Had this happen at least 15 years ago on an Orlando Virgin Flight from Gatwick. Captain had reported problem with front landing wheel not going up correctly on take off. We flew past control tower, who confirmed the wheel was still down. We then circled above Southampton to use up fuel, then landed back to Gatwick under emergency conditions. All was well if a bit hairy on landing, as the pilot kept the front wheel of the deck to the very last moment, a great skilll. We were then kept onboard as the landing gear was checked and the plane refuled. On inspection the cause of the wheel "sticking down" was found to be a safety pin not being removed by ground staff. Ah well alls well that ends well, three hour delay, a free drink or two from Virgin and no doubt a bollocking for the maintenance man.:-)