A Virgin Atlantic flight bound for Las Vegas was forced to return to Gatwick Airport on 29 December after pilots detected a problem with the landing gear. The Boeing 747, operating as flight VS43, departed at 11:44 but turned back before leaving UK airspace, circling the south coast to dump fuel as a precaution.
The aircraft executed a non-standard landing procedure, with emergency services on standby. Fire engines and ground staff attended the runway, but there was no immediate evacuation. Gatwick stated the landing was not expected to cause disruption.
Passenger Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, described the tense atmosphere onboard. 'Some people were annoyed at first but then people were getting more scared and anxious. Cabin crew were assuring us that it was fine but I was thinking: How can you land a plane without some of its wheels?' he said.
During the landing, passengers adopted the brace position as crew shouted instructions. Crane added: 'When it landed everyone was clapping and cheering.' He was travelling to celebrate New Year's Eve in Las Vegas and said the incident was a 'reality check' but did not put him off flying.
Virgin Atlantic confirmed the return was due to a technical issue with one of the landing gears. Such incidents are not uncommon, and pilots are trained to handle landing gear failures, though any non-standard landing carries potential risks.
