Alitalia MD-11 hard landing at Kai Tak

In the previous post about Kai Tak (“Kai Tak thrilling approach”) I explained how particular and somehow dangerous an approach to RWY 13 in Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport could be. Today, I was notified about a cockpit video showing an approach to the former HK airport with a flare in crosswind conditions that bring the aircraft in a dangerous attitude before touch down (the pilot screams “Piano” at 03:45, more or leass with the Italian meaning for “gently”) at 10 feet that causes a bank angle warning message (3:47). Interestingly, the video does not show the famous IGS approach plus visual approach to RWY 13 but an easier approach to RWY31……

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David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.