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Was this a near miss?

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  • 23-01-2008 11:40pm
    #1
    daveg
    Registered Users Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭


    Flying to Heathrow from Shannon on Air Lingus recently we experienced some delays on take off due to high winds. Were told Heathrow was very busy due to the weather and that we may be circling for a while. So were flying around Heathrow when I look out the window and see a B.A. plane, not alarmingly close but closer than you would usually see another aircraft. All of a sudden the plane banks hard right and the seatbelt signs came on. We land very quickly and I was wondering was this a near miss or was it just a coincidence and the rest was just in my head?


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    #2
    Barlow07
    Closed Accounts Posts: 480 ✭✭Barlow07


    daveg wrote: »
    Flying to Heathrow from Shannon on Air Lingus recently we experienced some delays on take off due to high winds. Were told Heathrow was very busy due to the weather and that we may be circling for a while. So were flying around Heathrow when I look out the window and see a B.A. plane, not alarmingly close but closer than you would usually see another aircraft. All of a sudden the plane banks hard right and the seatbelt signs came on. We land very quickly and I was wondering was this a near miss or was it just a coincidence and the rest was just in my head?

    It could well have been a near miss, but at the same time the plane breaked hard right and landed straight after if i am correct? I would say that there was probably more then a few planes waiting along side you.


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    #3
    peter1892
    Registered Users Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭peter1892


    Probably just another aircraft in the holding stack. Sometimes they appear to be quite close, but it's all controlled & perfectly safe. Was the BA flight below yours?


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    #4
    OPENROAD
    Registered Users Posts: 11,692 ✭✭✭✭OPENROAD


    daveg wrote: »
    Flying to Heathrow from Shannon on Air Lingus recently we experienced some delays on take off due to high winds. Were told Heathrow was very busy due to the weather and that we may be circling for a while. So were flying around Heathrow when I look out the window and see a B.A. plane, not alarmingly close but closer than you would usually see another aircraft. All of a sudden the plane banks hard right and the seatbelt signs came on. We land very quickly and I was wondering was this a near miss or was it just a coincidence and the rest was just in my head?


    Holding stack is normally 10 mins from Heathrow. You can see quite a few planes while on a circle. How long from seat belt sign coming on to landing.


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    #5
    daveg
    Registered Users Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭daveg


    Barlow07 wrote: »
    It could well have been a near miss, but at the same time the plane breaked hard right and landed straight after if i am correct? I would say that there was probably more then a few planes waiting along side you.

    Plane broke right, seat belts signs came on straight away and we went straight in to land.
    Was the BA flight below yours?

    Yes below us.
    How long from seat belt sign coming on to landing.

    We went straight in for a normal land straight after the aircraft broke right.


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    #6
    daveg
    Registered Users Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭daveg


    Pilot was thanking passangers (as they do) when we exited the aircraft. I said that BA plane was a bit close. He laughed and replied it was perfectly safe. Maybe he was right?


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    #7
    peter1892
    Registered Users Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭peter1892


    daveg wrote: »
    Pilot was thanking passangers (as they do) when we exited the aircraft. I said that BA plane was a bit close. He laughed and replied it was perfectly safe. Maybe he was right?

    I'd say he was :)

    Sounds like you were in the hold at Bovingdon for a while, then turned right onto the final approach to either 27R or 27L (the westerly runways at LHR).


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    #8
    OPENROAD
    Registered Users Posts: 11,692 ✭✭✭✭OPENROAD


    daveg wrote: »
    Plane broke right, seat belts signs came on straight away and we went straight in to land.

    Does seem strange that you landed straight away, never happened to me before, would it be normal to give so little time for passangers to get back to seats.


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    #9
    Foggy43
    Registered Users Posts: 1,321 ✭✭✭Foggy43


    The vertical separation is 1,000 feet between 13,000 and 7,000 feet in the 4 holding stacks for Heathrow. The increase in 'Level Bursts' (aircraft getting closer that 1,000 feet) is causing some concern.

    Usually when landing on 27L and 27R, they turn left or right over Chelsea/Kensington on to final approach. They are at 3,000 feet. They must follow the Glide Slope to 4 miles from the runway.

    27L cannot be used for landing at present as the BAA have decided to change the landing light configuration and also maybe try and remedy the Glide Slope problem that has been ongoing.


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    #10
    Davidth88
    Registered Users Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Davidth88


    Seen it many time, depending on which way the wind was blowing you may have been hanging over Bovingdon as a previous poster says.

    On a clear day I have seen 5-6 aircraft in front of us , slowly dropping down in a spiral, and then when it's your turn ping the seatbelt sign comes on and you drop on to the approach....

    I always hope we are on 27R , or 09L , this gives you the shortest taxi ( if you are coming from Ireland ) , if you land on 27R you will notice they use the brakes pretty hard/reverse thrust to stop quickly so they can exit stright onto the stand.

    ( typing this I nearly put 28R/10L , they changed about 20 years ago because of the magnetic drift :) )


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    #11
    JSK 252
    Registered Users Posts: 1,257 ✭✭✭JSK 252


    peter1892 wrote: »
    I'd say he was :)

    Sounds like you were in the hold at Bovingdon for a while, then turned right onto the final approach to either 27R or 27L (the westerly runways at LHR).

    I was thinking more Chesham for heathrow runway 27? no?


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    #12
    peter1892
    Registered Users Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭peter1892


    JSK 252 wrote: »
    I was thinking more Chesham for heathrow runway 27? no?

    My own experiences (flying into LHR from Ireland) have been holding at Bovingdon for a 27R landing.

    Apart from one time when we didn't have to hold at all, which was nice :)


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    #13
    WexCan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,350 ✭✭✭WexCan


    The seatbelt signs are usually put on before entering the hold - it takes roughly 5-10 minutes to secure the cabin.

    Sounds pretty normal to me to be honest - Heathrow can be very hectic.


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    #14
    OPENROAD
    Registered Users Posts: 11,692 ✭✭✭✭OPENROAD


    WexCan wrote: »
    The seatbelt signs are usually put on before entering the hold - it takes roughly 5-10 minutes to secure the cabin.

    Sounds pretty normal to me to be honest - Heathrow can be very hectic.



    That makes much more sense


    Seem to be quite lucky getting into Heathrow, more times then not we go straight in, Fridays around 16:30 which I would say is quite a busy time. On the otherhand BD120, early mornings tend to get caught out.


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    #15
    the beerhunter
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭the beerhunter


    Foggy43 wrote: »
    'Level Bursts' (aircraft getting closer that 1,000 feet) is causing some concern.

    eek! misunderstood information causing me some concern. suspect you mean level bust. that's any deviation from cleared altitude by 300' or more. which is obviously made worse if there's traffic, as would be the case in the hold.


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    #16
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 9,840 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    daveg wrote: »
    Flying to Heathrow from Shannon on Air Lingus recently we experienced some delays on take off due to high winds. Were told Heathrow was very busy due to the weather and that we may be circling for a while. So were flying around Heathrow when I look out the window and see a B.A. plane, not alarmingly close but closer than you would usually see another aircraft. All of a sudden the plane banks hard right and the seatbelt signs came on. We land very quickly and I was wondering was this a near miss or was it just a coincidence and the rest was just in my head?

    This is absoloutely normal. When holding the pilots sometimes let the pax know to expect aircraft in the vicinity. At night you can see a lot more due to the anti-coll lights. The aircraft are stacked up in a race-track pattern before they make they approach to land. The aircraft was probably 3000 ft away from you and 1000ft above you. And yes they do seem closer than they actually are.

    They banking sharply was your aircraft leaving the stack to land on the inbound runway. The end of a flight is quite busy for cockpit crew so they communicate to the cabin crew using the seatbelt sign. Aer Lingus flick the sign on and off a couple of times about 10 minutes before landing to let the cabin crew know to secure the cabin for landing. Holding is often not exact in terms of time so you could have heard a pre arranged signal to let the cabin crew know they were on the approach,I've got that many times.Or it could have been the gear going down,in an Airbus when it is fully extended the emergency lights come on with a little 'ding'.


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