Boeing 747 Dreamlifter lands safely after declaring problem
EVERETT, Wash. -- A Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane made a safe landing at Paine Field after suffering a reported hydraulic issue.
The plane took off from Everett Tuesday afternoon and was bound for Japan but turned around once the pilot noticed the hydraulic issues. There were also concerns the landing gear may have been stuck.
The plane circled around the Puget Sound area several times burning up fuel before making a low pass over the runway for a landing gear check. It then circled one more time and landed safely.
The plane took off from Everett Tuesday afternoon and was bound for Japan but turned around once the pilot noticed the hydraulic issues. There were also concerns the landing gear may have been stuck.
The plane circled around the Puget Sound area several times burning up fuel before making a low pass over the runway for a landing gear check. It then circled one more time and landed safely.
Even with the 747's triple redundancy for the hydraulic systems, when a problemÂ
occurs early during a transoceanic flight with one of those systems it is wise andÂ
prudent to go back and have the system repaired, or serviced immediately.
It was smart move for the pilot.
"Burning up fuel"? It sure looked like they were dumping it to those of us on the ground. But anyway, glad they landed safely. We were watching a live feed and praying for a safe landing.
@here_I_go_again Is there a limit to how much they can dump? Photos I saw looked like it was dumping too.
@aintno1special @here_I_go_againThe FAA doesn't have regulations regarding fuel jettisoning. The pilots coordinate with ATC so that when the fuel is dumped it will evaporate before it hits the ground or other planes in the area.
The amount that is dumped depends on the situation. In this case the pilots would have dumped nearly all fuel on-board since the hydraulic problems could cause the landing gear to not deploy fully. With the possibility of a wheels up landing having almost fuel on-board reduces the likelihood of a major fire.
@aintno1special @here_I_go_again I have no idea, but it circled over our house twice, and we knew right away it was in trouble because it was so low and dumping fuel.Â
@aintno1special Another news source says they were dumping, so I am sure KOMO will update the story soon. As for limits to how much they can dump, I would think it would depend on how critical the emergency is. I'm pretty sure that the fuel evaporates quickly.Â
For several reasons, I am glad they got the gear down.