Incredible moment Airbus almost brushes beachgoers as it makes ‘lowest ever landing’ at island airport
THIS is the breath-taking moment a plane comes close to brushing beachgoers as it makes the “lowest ever landing” at an island airport.
Greek islanders and holidaymakers who had gathered on the beach to watch jets got a scare when a Wizz Air flight came into land on Skiathos.
Dramatic footage shows the Airbus A321neo approaching the runway and everything at first appears normal with the plane approaching over the clear-blue sea surrounding the Mediterranean island.
However, just how low the plane is approaching soon becomes clear as it seems to just clear the perimeter fence before touching down at the Skiathos Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport.
The noise of the jet engines hides the gasps of the aviation buffs below as the planes passes over their heads with what seems like a gap of just a few metres.
Dust from the road is kicked up as the plane passes over it and a number of people can be seen ducking.
Read More on Greece
“How many of the spectators do you think needed new pants?” one person asked beneath the video, which was published by GreatFlyer.
The YouTube account asked followers whether the landing was the “lowest ever” at the airport.
One commentator explained why pilots sometimes try to stop their planes as swiftly as possible.
They said: “High temperature and very short runway, you have to do a deep landing to maximise the available runway for stop.
Most read in The Sun
“Low cost airlines operates with short turnaround times, if you overheat the brakes you mess up the schedule if the plane.”
Another hit back on suggestions the pilot had been playing up to the crowd of people who had gathered at the beach.
“Before jumping to conclusion, let’s just say we don’t know why the plane ended up so scarily low on a fairly routine approach but I doubt it was “intentional” “showing off”,” they said.
“However, the people standing there were definitely standing there intentionally despite of the warning signs and traffic lights.
“You cannot get injured if you’re not standing there. Glad to see the plane eventually touched down without any damage.”
Read More on The Sun
Due to the geography of the island, Skiathos Airport has a particularly short runway, meaning pilots have to approach lower than they would do for longer runways.
Plane watchers particularly like that spot as it gives them an up-close view of the jets.