Discovery brings you “World’s Scariest Plane Landings”

Just about anyone who’s ever flown in an airplane has probably thought it at some point or other, if not every time: The thought that you might not survive this flight. It usually hits me during take-off and especially at landing. So far, I’ve been fortunate — aside from one instance in which the plane that brought me back to Chicago actually bounced rather spectacularly on the icy runway (inducing paroxysms of terror throughout the cabin and even a nerve-shattering scream from one hysterical passenger), landing has generally been a pretty smooth affair, as it is for most of the thousands of flights that take place each day. But it isn’t always that way. And Discovery Channel wants to tell you all about those heart-in-your-mouth air travel moments starting tonight, April 23, with the premiere of its new series World’s Scariest Plane Landings at 10pm ET/PT.

World’s Scariest Plane Landings pretty much makes my little bouncing-plane story look like a ride on the playground swings. With astonishing footage augmented by firsthand accounts of terrified passengers and skilled pilots who lived through them, this series closely examines some of the most harrowing near-death experiences endured by air travelers. The series will explore incidents like the “Miracle on the Hudson,” in which Captain Chelsey Sullenberger became a national hero when his quick thinking and prowess at the controls brought his distressed plane safely into the waters of the Hudson River, saving hundreds of lives.

So bring your seat forward, make sure your seat belt is fastened, see that your tray is in a fully upright and locked position and prepare to join the ranks of the terrified who have survived some of the world’s scariest plane landings.

1 Comment

  1. Count on it. You cannot trust what is presented on television shows about airline flying. Monday night’s Discovery Channel presentation was no exception. I watched it because I knew I was going to get emails from anxious fliers about what the show said. To get ahead of the game, I posted notes I took during the show on the fearofflying.com message board.

    In what the show considered the second most terrifying landing, a Boeing 757 ingested a bird while on the runway during takeoff. The engine continued to operate, so the pilots continued their takeoff. After takeoff, they elected to shut down the engine and make the landing with just one engine operating. To give you an idea of how irresponsible the media is, the announcer says, the problem “Put the pilots into deadly peril.” Then, as the plane is about to land, the announcer says, “There is a very serious risk that the plane could flip over.”

    The fact is a landing with one engine operating is something every airline practices every year. There is nothing difficult about it. Anyone reading this could be taught to make a single engine landing in a flight simulator in just a few hours. There is no “deadly peril” and there is no risk whatsoever that the plane would “flip over.”

    Since an anxious flier can easily be victimized, my suggestion is that you avoid watching television shows about aviation

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