Negative windshear landings

By flugsnug
Published on 18 Jan 2014

Negative windshear landings
Negative windshear (or wind shear) is when any headwind component drops sharply - or a tailwind component increases sharply. The effect on an aircraft is a sudden loss of air speed and lift, and can lead to a stall.

The four attempted landings here were all on days of strong winds this winter at Birmingham Airport BHX. The final three were in crosswinds, but in the first (by a Citation 560XL) the wind was along the runway, and the pilot elected to divert to Leeds-Bradford rather than try a second approach.