# Hard landing > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hard_landing > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hard_landing.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_landing > Source revision: 1343276613 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Landing of aircraft or spacecraft with greater speed and force than in a normal landing}} {{About|aircraft touchdowns|other uses of Hard landing|Hard landing (disambiguation)}} [[File:Boeing 737-800 (EI-DYY) of Ryanair lands at Bristol Airport, England 15Aug2016 arp.jpg|thumb|A [Ryanair](/source/Ryanair) [Boeing 737-800](/source/Boeing_737-800) performing a firm landing at [Bristol Airport](/source/Bristol_Airport) following [Boeing](/source/Boeing)'s manual]] A '''hard landing''' occurs when an aircraft or spacecraft hits the ground with a significantly greater vertical speed and force than in a normal landing. The terms ''hard landing'' and ''firm landing'' are often confused though are inherently different. A hard landing is never intended; if an aircraft has had a hard landing it must be inspected for damage before its next flight. A firm landing for an aircraft type (e.g. [Boeing 737](/source/Boeing_737)) and specified environmental conditions (e.g. gusty or crosswind conditions, wet runway, etc.) is intended, and even required, by the aircraft manual. Landing is the final phase in flight, in which the aircraft returns to the ground. The average vertical speed in a landing is around {{convert|2|m/s|ft/s}}; any greater vertical speed should be classed by crew as ''hard''. Crew judgment is most reliable to determine hard landing, as determination based on recorded acceleration value is difficult and not advisable,{{citation |first1=Ralph Michael |last1=Garber |first2=Lawrence |last2=Van Kirk |url= http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_14/conditional_story.html |title= Conditional Inspection |publisher= Boeing |work= Aero |issue= 14 |access-date= 2021-10-01 |archive-date= 2021-03-01 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210301035031/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_14/conditional_story.html |url-status= live }} partially because there is no recording of true vertical acceleration.Guillaume Aigoin, [http://essi.easa.europa.eu/ecast/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AIGOIN-Characterising-hard-landings.pdf#page=7 Characterising hard landings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315211202/https://essi.easa.europa.eu/ecast/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AIGOIN-Characterising-hard-landings.pdf#page=7 |date=2017-03-15 }} / [EASA](/source/EASA) EOFDM Conference, 12 January 2012, page 7: "The vertical parameter is neither vertical nor an acceleration … It is the normal load factor in the aircraft reference frame is not sufficient for assessing contact severity!" Hard landings can be caused by weather conditions, mechanical problems, [overweight](/source/Maximum_landing_weight) aircraft, [pilot](/source/Aviator) decision, or [pilot error](/source/pilot_error). The term ''hard landing'' usually implies that the pilot still has total or partial control over the aircraft and is aware of the terrain proximity, as opposed to an uncontrolled descent into terrain or a [controlled flight into terrain](/source/controlled_flight_into_terrain), both of which can be called a [crash](/source/Aviation_accidents_and_incidents). Hard landings can vary in their consequences, from mild passenger discomfort to aircraft damage, [structural failure](/source/structural_failure), injuries, and loss of life. Hard landings can cause extensive damage to aircraft. For example, on 20 June 2012, a [Boeing 767](/source/Boeing_767) of [All Nippon Airways](/source/All_Nippon_Airways) landed with such force that a large crease formed in the aircraft's skin.{{cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 767-381ER JA610A Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT) |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20120620-0 |website=Aviation-Safety.net |access-date=17 November 2018 |archive-date=17 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117192947/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20120620-0 |url-status=live }} When the [final approach](/source/Final_approach_(aeronautics)) is not stabilised, the crew is recommended to abort and [go around](/source/go_around); this was the recommendation of the [Australian Transport Safety Bureau](/source/Australian_Transport_Safety_Bureau) after investigating the hard landing of a [Malaysia Airlines](/source/Malaysia_Airlines) Airbus A330 at [Melbourne Airport](/source/Melbourne_Airport) after arriving from Kuala Lumpur on 14 March 2015.{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/unstabilized-approach |title= Unstabilized Approach? |at= ATSB: When In Doubt, Go Around |date= Jun 22, 2017 |author= Richard N. Aarons |work= Aviation Week Network |access-date= October 1, 2021 |archive-date= December 20, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191220140908/https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/unstabilized-approach |url-status= live }}{{citation |url= https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2015/aair/ao-2015-032.aspx |work= Aviation safety investigations & reports |title= Hard landing involving an Airbus A330, 9M-MTA, Melbourne Airport, Victoria on 14 March 2015 |publisher= ATSB |date= 5 April 2017 |access-date= 1 October 2021 |archive-date= 7 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210507042114/https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2015/aair/ao-2015-032.aspx |url-status= live }} For [helicopter](/source/helicopter)s, a hard landing can occur after mechanical or engine damage or failure when the rotor(s) are still intact and free to turn. [Autorotation](/source/Autorotation_(helicopter)), in which airflow over the rotors keeps them turning and provides some [lift](/source/Lift_(force)), can allow limited pilot control during descent. As an unpowered descent, it requires considerable pilot skill and experience to safely execute. A hard landing of a [spacecraft](/source/spacecraft) such as a [rocket stage](/source/rocket_stage) usually ends with its destruction and can be intentional or unintentional. When a high-velocity [impact](/source/impact_(mechanics)) is planned (when its purpose is to study consequences of impact), the spacecraft is called an [impactor](/source/Impactor_(spacecraft)). This is sometimes humorously referred to as [lithobraking](/source/lithobraking). ==See also== * [Index of aviation articles](/source/Index_of_aviation_articles) * [Deadstick landing](/source/Deadstick_landing) * [Emergency landing](/source/Emergency_landing) * [Forced landing](/source/Forced_landing) * [Soft landing (rocketry)](/source/Soft_landing_(rocketry)) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_aug04.pdf#page=3 Stabilized Approach and Flare Are Keys to Avoiding Hard Landings] / Flight Safety Foundation, FSF Digest, August 2004 {{Types of take-off and landing}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Landing}} Category:Aviation risks Category:Types of landing --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hard landing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_landing) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_landing?action=history)). 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