VS043 safe emergency landing at LGW 29 Dec 14

Just noticed that VS43 (LGW-LAS) is in a holding pattern off the North Cornwall coast. Looks like it might be diverting or returning to Gatwick, and is having to burn off fuel.
Medical emergency or technical fault, I wonder. Into its fourth circuit (at 12.40pm, 32,000ft).










Date added to thread title by mod...........Nick
re-edit to title to reflect safe outcome of incident......Nick

Guess its medical as she is showing a second departure of 13.55...

Someone will have to pay for a lot of wasted fuel, also will the crew remain within hours?

G-VROM just passed over me in Devon. Looks like heading back to LGW.
Schedule shows VS43 leaving LGW again approx 2pm.....

G-VROS.....

Looks like it has just done a go-around at LGW too - if FR24 is to be believed.

And now circling again - presumably to burn off more fuel. Clearly not an urgent medical diversion - if it was life-threatening, I am sure you would risk an overweight landing.

I hope that the passenger requiring medical assistance makes a good recovery.

He is fly overhead now with under carriage down . For last hour . Still going around

Be going around about 15 times now will try and post a photo . Why has he got under carriage down . All the time ? Straight over our farm now

Be going around about 15 times now will try and post a photo . Why has he got under carriage down . All the time ? Straight over our farm now

That could well be an undercarriage issue, perhaps it's down but not locking in place? Hope all is well and they're soon off again if a fix is needed.

Edit. Currently looks like a turn for landing.

Someone will have to pay for a lot of wasted fuel, also will the crew remain within hours?

Yes VS will as part of the "cost doing business"

Probably not. But that's why they have crew on standby so be called in at short notice

Why has he got under carriage down . All the time ?

Other than possibly being the problem a lowered under carriage creates more drag which slows the plane down which then needs to use more fuel to maintain the correct air speed. Using more fuel means the weight comes down a little bit quicker so then can land quicker.

Flew directly over my house at 2750 ft many times.

Using binoculars, it looks like starboard outer main landing gear has stuck in and the door gear partly open.

Seems to be heading back into LGW at the moment..........

It's making multiple loops around Burgess Hill, at 2200 feet

Just done another go-around at Gatwick. Looks like flying "low, slow and rough" i.e. spoilers / undercarriage down is not doing the trick.

Just done another go-around at Gatwick. Looks like flying "low, slow and rough" i.e. spoilers / undercarriage down is not doing the trick.

And apparently a wing waggle to see if that helps, now heading out over the channel. This could be serious

Now picked up by The Telegraph

A Virgin Atlantic plane is circling south east England after its right wing landing gear apparently failed to come down

Also by the daily mirror,

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/vi ... ve-4889011

I hope all is well onboard but it could be a hydraulic failure which is very very very serious, I suspect the amount circling VS may have to restock the sick bags once it's landed

On the face of it, it certainly does not look good. It's clearly not a medical diversion - would have landed ages ago if it was.

Given that the plane clearly has fuel for a lot more flying time, could VS divert to an airport where an emergency landing would not cause chaos by closing the airport (i.e. LGW). Maybe divert to CDG where there are 4 runways - I am sure they could cope with a runway down for a while.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/vi ... ve-4889011

Or STN?

Possibly best to try and land at a 'home' airport where VS staff are already working and more can be called in quickly to assist?

Cardiff is normally a popular choice as it's not very busy compared to LGW, plus BA 747's take off and land there regularly

Returning to you home airport where possible is the normal course of events, VS have technical staff and can handle the passengers more efficiently, so it will be LGW. Just as it was with the A343 that landed at LHR in 1997 with failed landing gear. I hope the outcome isn't as bad, even though then the crew were heroic in getting the plane down and everyone off it.

She's still circling off the south coast apparently trying some 'manoeuvres' to loosen the gear:

Screen Shot 2014-12-29 at 15.14.17.png (122.76 KiB) Viewed 4997 times

Is this a similar incident to what happened to a VS a340 in 1997 as the mirror are saying the right hand wing gear is not down, if so this makes since for the go around as it would complete a 'fly by' past the tower so they can visually confirm if the gear is fully locked

It's on bbc news now

Possibly best to try and land at a 'home' airport where VS staff are already working and more can be called in quickly to assist?

This.

Shouldn't be an hydraulics problem as they have duplicate systems in case of failure. Seems to be localised around the starboard outer wing gear. Hopefully nothing more serious !

One possibility is that it is using fuel from the starboard wing tanks to reduce weight, in case of a landing on just 3 main gear.

Looking where it's currently circling, I doubt it will be dumping fuel so close to shore.

Hoping for a successful resolution.

Looks like the starboard outer main gear has failed to come down, a serious issue as I'm not sure how stable the aircraft will be on landing. There will be a risk of the aircraft leaning on to its starboard wing.