Commercial airline pilots faced the daunting prospect of landing a jet full of up to 400 passengers in the mayhem as Storm Eunice blasted into the UK with record-breaking winds. One man even live-streamed the entire incident to nearly 200,000 spectators at Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, commenting as each pilot battled heavy crosswinds and successfully landed each plane. Now, film from the cockpit of a Boeing 777 flight has been released, showing the big airliner successfully landing at Heathrow on February 18. To say the least, it’s concerning.
As the jet approaches the last stages of landing, Captain Khalifa Al-Thani wrestles with the control column to keep the plane level despite being driven sideways by gale-force winds. As trees continue to fall across the UK, the storm has claimed numerous lives, with wind gusts hitting 122 miles per hour (196 kilometers per hour) and breaking new records for the fastest wind gusts in the area.
As a result, numerous flights have aborted landings at Heathrow and other UK airports, returning to their origins; however, other pilots have braved the winds and successfully landed. Strong crosswinds and wind shear (the difference in wind speed or direction over a short space) are two of the most perilous obstacles a commercial pilot can face, and Eunice has plenty of both.
Three individuals have died as a result of one of the most severe storms to hit the United Kingdom in decades. Storms are bringing strong winds. A lady in her 30s died in London, a guy in his 20s died in Hampshire, and a man in his 50s died in Merseyside as Eunice uprooted trees and sent debris flying. The storm halted schools, interrupted traffic, and tore off roofs, setting a temporary record in England with a 122mph gust on the Isle of Wight.
As of Friday night, about 400,000 houses were without power. In other parts of Europe, five individuals died. The Met Office issued unusual red weather warnings early on Friday, suggesting a danger to life, for coastal areas in south-west England and south Wales, as well as south-east England.
