In aviation, a bounced landing is a behavior of an
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. ...
that can develop after aircraft touching the runway or water surface, and defined as all aircraft wheels or floats briefly and sometimes repeatedly losing contact with the runway or water surface during landing. It should not be confused with
aquaplaning
Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or other wheeled vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle fr ...
or a
touch-and-go landing
In aviation, a touch-and-go landing (TGL) or circuit is a maneuver that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. Usually the pilot then circles the a ...
.
Types of bounced landing
*Overspeed bounced landing (speed-induced bounced landing) - happens due occurrence of
ground effect on wings as aircraft approach landing surface at speeds exceeding normal landing speed by 10% or more.
*Ballooning (pitch-induced bounced landing) - happens due combination of pitch motion during touchdown and elastic reactions of chassis struts. Can be induced by pilot inputs or ground roughness, and can happen even at normal landing speed.
*Porpoising (runaway bounced landing) - repeated bouncing with bouncing amplitude increasing with each touchdown. This is most dangerous bounced landing type typically resulting in severe damage or destruction of airframe.
Factors favouring bounced landing
* Excessive airspeed at landing
* Inexperienced pilot
* Attitude errors before landing (especially excessive nose-down attitude resulting in high sink rate)
* Rough landing strip
* Attempts to fix the excessive sink rate in last moments before landing
* Nose-wheel aircraft
* Cross-winds
Bounced landing mitigation procedures
In general, once touched down the bounced landing mitigation procedures are ineffective, especially for inexperienced pilots. Therefore, if some factors in control of pilot are favouring bounced landing, it is recommended to perform
Go-around
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an uns ...
or
Touch-and-go landing
In aviation, a touch-and-go landing (TGL) or circuit is a maneuver that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. Usually the pilot then circles the a ...
whenever possible, before development of usually fatal runaway bouncing occurs. Then try to remove the hazardous factors, and land again.
If the initial bouncing have occurred, but aircraft horizontal speed is insufficient for
Touch-and-go landing
In aviation, a touch-and-go landing (TGL) or circuit is a maneuver that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. Usually the pilot then circles the a ...
, the following emergency procedure should be followed:
* In case of initial bouncing, never try to apply full nose-down input, especially on aircraft with the nose-wheel. Landing nose-down is sure way to develop runaway bouncing and to break nose-wheel struts.
Instead, gently stabilize pitch attitude at around normal landing angle, and wait until next touchdown. It is permitted to reduce vertical speed prior to second touchdown by slight nose-up input.
*In general, pitch-induced bounced landing is much easier to mitigate compared to speed-induced bounced landing, due aircraft lower lift and kinetic energy. Make an effort to shed an excess horizontal speed whenever possible.
*The runaway bounced landing (with at least 2 bounces after initial touchdown) is usually not recoverable. Some military aircraft may deploy
drogue parachute
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed for deployment from a rapidly-moving object. It can be used for various purposes, such as to decrease speed, to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute. ...
to arrest runaway bouncing though.
Notable occurrences of bounced landing
*
Aeroflot Flight 1492
Aeroflot Flight 1492 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Aeroflot from Moscow–Sheremetyevo to Murmansk, Russia. On 5 May 2019, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft operating the flight was climbing out when it was struck by li ...
*
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200
Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 (GA200/GIA 200) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-400 operated by Garuda Indonesia between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The aircraft overran the runway, crashed into a rice field and b ...
*
FedEx Express Flight 80
FedEx Express Flight 80 was a scheduled cargo flight from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the People's Republic of China, to Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture (near Tokyo), Japan. On March 23, 2009, the McDonn ...
See also
*
Fuel dumping
Fuel dumping (or a fuel jettison) is a procedure used by aircraft in certain emergency situations before a return to the airport shortly after takeoff, or before landing short of the intended destination (emergency landing) to reduce the aircra ...
*
Missed approach
Missed approach is a procedure followed by a pilot when an instrument approach cannot be completed to a full-stop landing. The instructions for the missed approach may be assigned by air traffic control (ATC) prior to the clearance for the approac ...
*
Touch-and-go landing
In aviation, a touch-and-go landing (TGL) or circuit is a maneuver that is common when learning to fly a fixed-wing aircraft. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. Usually the pilot then circles the a ...
References
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Emergency aircraft operations
Aviation safety