Malaysia Airlines pilot hailed for expert Storm Darrah Heathrow 'crabbing' landing

The pilot of a passenger plane that performed an “extraordinary” advanced landing technique, safely delivering passengers to Heathrow Airport, has been lauded by the public for his exceptional skills. In gripping footage of the Malaysia Airlines landing, the pilot can be seen employing a “crabbing” technique to maintain control while being battered by sudden gusts during Storm Darragh.

The storm brought wind speeds of up to 96mph to southern England on Saturday, with powerful gusts at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, forcing many planes into multiple landing attempts. For some passengers, it was a nerve-wracking day to fly, with one British Airways flight making three failed attempts before the pilot conceded and flew to Frankfurt.

However, most flights were eventually able to land, even if the passengers on board were rattled by the landings. During the final moments of one Malaysia Airlines flight’s descent into London’s Heathrow on Saturday, the plane’s nose can be seen veering sharply to the side as the pilot battles with the wind, with aviation enthusiasts on the ground heard exclaiming “Woah easy! Blimey O’Reilly,” as the pilot manoeuvres onto the tarmac.

With both rear wheels on the ground and the plane’s nose at an almost 45 degree angle, the Airbus A350-900 can be seen bouncing slightly before expertly straightening up.

While it may seem odd to land at such an angle, this strategy is known as “crabbing” and is actually how the pilot manages to maintain control when landing in challenging crosswind conditions, like those encountered on Saturday.

Counterintuitively, pilots direct the aircraft’s nose into the wind while continuing to fly straight ahead, landing almost sideways like a crab. This enables the plane to counter the wind’s force and align with the runway.

To some observers, it appeared as if “looked like row 40 in Economy was landing first,” while many lauded the skill of the pilots on the Malaysia Airlines flight for achieving “quite a spectacular crab angle.” Those on board were no doubt just happy to be back on solid ground.