To: (Separate email addresses with commas)
From: (Your email address)
Message: (Optional)
Send
Cancel

Thanks!

Close

Why Landing Too Fast Can Lead To A Wheelbarrowing Accident

Boldmethod

Weight Focused On The Nosewheel

During takeoff and landing, the majority of your aircraft's weight should be focused on your main gear, not the nosewheel.

Transferring too much weight onto the nosewheel causes a situation called wheelbarrowing, which can lead to a loss of directional control, prop strike, or nose gear collapse. On top of those problems, with little to no weight on your main landing gear, you have little braking action.

And if all of those problems weren't bad enough, in strong crosswind conditions your plane can pivot around the nosewheel, weathervaning into the wind and making directional control nearly impossible.

Boldmethod

Common Causes

According to the FAA, "one of the most common causes of wheelbarrowing during the landing roll is a simultaneous touchdown of the main and nose wheel with excessive speed, followed by application of forward pressure on the elevator control."

Another time wheelbarrowing occurs is when you attempt to land at an excessively fast airspeed. If you're over-focused on your landing point, you might "push" the nose into the ground first, and instinctively apply forward elevator pressure in an attempt to plant the aircraft firmly on your intended landing point.

Boldmethod

If You Begin To Wheelbarrow, Here's What To Do

The best thing you can do if you start to wheelbarrow is a go-around. Increase back pressure as you simultaneously increase power, join the traffic pattern, and try the landing again.

If going around isn't an option, add slight back pressure to resume a normal landing attitude, and transition your aircraft's weight to the main gear as soon as possible.

Have you ever experienced a wheelbarrow on takeoff or landing? Tell us in the comments below.

Improve your landings for less than the cost of a flight lesson.

Do you have a perfect takeoff and landing every time? Neither do we. That's why we built our Mastering Takeoffs and Landings online course.

You'll learn strategies, tactics, and fundamental principles that you can use on your next flight, and just about any takeoff or landing scenario you'll experience as a pilot.

Plus, for less than the cost of a flight lesson, you get lifetime access to tools that increase your confidence and make your landings more consistent.

Ready to get started? Click here to purchase Mastering Takeoffs and Landings now.


$139.99
Images Courtesy:

Recommended Stories

Latest Stories

    Load More
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email