Can a320 land on water?

In the case of flight 1549, the pilots of the Airbus A320 made a decision to land in the Hudson River after apparently losing power in both engines. In aviation terminology, that type of landing is referred to as ditching, and as far as jetliners go it remains a fairly rare event.



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Some years ago, when Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger (Sully) landed US Airways flight 1549 onto the river Hudson, the lack of fatalities and responsiveness of crew was hailed a miracle. Water landings, whether controlled or not, can be very dangerous, and it's paramount that staff are trained on how to manage them.

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The overall general aviation ditching survival rate is 88 percent.

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Almost all large aircraft impacting the sea surface in an emergency or uncontrolled will break up immediately and catastrophically. One notable exception was US1549, an A320, which was landed on water without breaking up. It was described as still virtually intact though partially submerged and slowly sinking.

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Boeing 737 cargo plane makes emergency water landing off Hawaii. July 2 (Reuters) - A decades-old Boeing Co (BA. N) 737-200 cargo airplane with two people on board made an emergency nighttime landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, early on Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said.

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The use of seaplanes gradually tapered off after World War II, partially because of the investments in airports during the war but mainly because landplanes were less constrained by weather conditions that could result in sea states being too high to operate seaplanes while landplanes could continue to operate.

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The size of the container precludes enough of a potentially explosive liquid from being carried on board. If you really want to get that bottled water past the security checkpoint, there is a workaround: Just freeze it. TSA allows for frozen liquids so long as they're completely solid.

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The simple answer is yes, airplanes can fly in the rain. Modern aircraft are designed to operate safely in a wide variety of conditions, including rain and snow. The most extreme example is the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, who fly right into some of the fiercest weather on the planet day in and day out.

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In summary, we can say that if all procedures are followed to the letter, flying in the rain and taking off or landing on a wet runway is completely safe.

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Whether it would be safer to crash on land or water would depend on the choices available. If the misfortune happens near land and water, I would crash land on a dry, flat and hard surface. If my choice is only the river amidst the high-rise buildings, I would opt for ditching.

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You may think the life vest under your airplane seat will save your life if the aircraft ends up in the water. In fact, such a thing has never happened in modern commercial airline flying.

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The sweet spot of flying is regarded as between 35,000 and 42,000 feet (the airline industry still uses feet and inches as its standard measurements) – too high and the oxygen becomes too sparse to fuel the engines, too low and the air resistance is greater.

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While rain has a very slim chance of canceling a flight, there can be a minor chance that rain will delay it. Rain is just water, no matter the pressure. Modern aircraft can generate lift regardless of the heaviness of the rain. Planes can and will take off and land in the rain.

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On 1 January 1941, a Ju 88 is recorded as having crashed just offshore from Marsaskala Bay, resulting in the loss of its three-member crew.

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