Pakistan Airliner Landed Gear Up On First Try: Report - AVweb

St. Barts, my hobby horse since I used to fly in there during a previous life. Whoever says to “just keep proper speed and glidepath” will surely be going around using this method. There are so many variables when landing on runway 10. Turbulence and gusty winds will totally destroy the confidence of a first-timer going in here. BTW Paul, the sign you refer to means “roundabout ahead, you do not have the right of way”. By itself a valid sign but there is, however, another sign on that road warning of low flying aircraft. An issue almost NEVER mentioned here is the 2% downslope of this runway. If you’ve never experienced this kind of slope then you’re in for a scare. Threshold is at 49 ft, the end at 7 ft. Even in a a calm no-wind situation you’d be hard pressed to make the touchdown zone and this is the MAIN reason airplanes have a problem landing there. Such as myself in a heavily loaded Aztec on my first attempt into St. Barts. I had to go around, I wasn’t even close. The second time was better and I touched down late in the zone however the downslope was something I was not prepared for. The airplane kept going and the brakes were fading fast. I barely got it stopped before the beach. It’s not only the runway length, it’s the downslope that will get you.