Three most dramatic flight landings made by pilots

There have been occasions where pilots have had to land in even more challenging situations because of system failures. Here is a look at those spectacular moments in aviation:

1.Emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 (2009)

American pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger faced a tough choice when minutes after take-off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, the engines of his plane were damaged by a flock of birds. He realised that he would not make it to nearby airports and chose to crash land into the Hudson River. The plane’s whole crew and 155 passengers survived. Sullenberger’s life inspired the 2016 movie Sully, starring Tom Hanks

2.Air India Flight 101 (2018)

The pilots of an Air India flight from Delhi to New York faced multiple system failures. They found that none of the systems that were supposed to help them land were working, NDTV reported. Since they were unable to land in New York, the pilots had to think of an alternative airport.

Captain Rustom Pallia, who was controlling the aircraft, decided to land in Newark in New Jersey.  But low-hanging clouds obscured the runway.

"I finally spotted the runway approach lights at an altitude of just about 400 feet just 1.5 miles away, a distance we would cover in seconds given the speed that we were flying at," Pallia told NDTV. “I had to snap correct and descend the 777 without the help of any automated altitude read out" and with no means of knowing my precise altitude.”

The plane eventually managed to land safely at Newark.

3.Air Canada Flight 143 (1983)

At a height of 41,000 feet, this Air Canada flight from Montreal to Edmonton ran out of fuel mid-way. The pilots decided to divert to Winnipeg.

Captain Robert Pear­son put the plane into optimal glide mode to “maximize flight distance to glide the aircraft to Winnipeg within range”, Forbes reported.

Meanwhile, First Officer Maurice Quintal flagged that that Gimli Air Force base was even closer for landing.

The deft handling of the situation by the pilots ensured that the plane landed at the base safely and there were no casualties.