Captain Steve Freeman and First Officer Ajit Sindhu were in charge of an easyJet flight from Belfast to Newcastle when they caught the tail-end of Storm Freya in March. Footage shows the moment 40mph crosswinds struck as they approached the runway with 186 passengers on board. Mr Freeman used a technique known as “crabbing” to point the plane’s nose into the wind, before correcting it moments before touching down.
The terrifying footage came as part of ITV’s “easyJet: Inside The Cockpit” series.
The narrator revealed the moment they realised they had a problem.
He said: “They’re just off the coast of north-west England, flying over an extremely breezy Irish Sea.
“And wind speeds have continued to increase.
“With some of the strongest winds of the year, it might be more like flying queezyJet today.
“And when one of the most experienced captains in the company says it’s challenging, it might be time to worry.”
As they began to approach Newcastle, the captain turned the plane off autopilot and took over manual control.
He pointed the nose of the plane into the wind to stop it from being blown off-course, before correcting position at the final moment.
Mr Freeman remarked: “This is going to be challenging I think, let’s prepare the cabin crew.
“In turbulent conditions, it’s not us that, if you like, are stirring the stick.”
However, the veteran captain, with over 20 years experience, pulled off a near-perfect landing, much to the appreciation of his passengers.
One said: “That was ropey, thank God for the rosary.”
While another added: “Just like that, everybody appreciates their life back again.
“I’m just glad to be alive.”
Though the landing was spectacular, it is not the first bit of impressive work seen by a pilot on the show.
Captain Brij Kotecha was in charge of a flight to Innsbruck in Austria earlier in the year.
Rated a Category C (Classified), the landing is among the world’s most difficult – with only 140 easyJet pilots being cleared to fly them.
These flights require specific crew and pilot training as they have unusual and often very difficult approaches.
Innsbruck is one of the hardest of the 16 airports on the list due to the surrounding terrain, prohibiting certain aircraft from even operating at the airport.
However, Mr Kotecha pulled off an almost blind landing and brought the aircraft to a safe stop.
He then said: “The last few seconds were intense.”
