Plane misses landing in Caen due to strong gusts of wind, pilot throttles back at last minute to land in Paris

Strong gusts of wind from Storm Darragh disrupted the landing of an Air France plane on Sunday, December 8 in Normandy.

Passengers on AF 1674 flight from Lyon to Caen experienced a big scare this Sunday afternoon. As the plane was preparing to land at Carpiquet airport around 4:50 p.m., the pilot finally decided to go around.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

This was due to the violent gusts of wind that were shaking the aircraft just a few meters above the ground. “From the start, the captain warned us that the approach conditions to Caen would be difficult with a high risk of turbulence”, says Pierre, a passenger originally from Cherbourg, interviewed by France Bleu Normandie.

The flight went smoothly until the approach to the airport: “Things didn't go as planned,” summarizes Pierre. Just before landing, very strong gusts made the plane wobble from right to left. It was leaning so much that, at times, one wing seemed about to touch the ground. It was a moment of panic.”

Particularly bad weather conditions difficult

“Oddly enough, most of the passengers remained calm, perhaps frozen by fear, but there were a few screams”, Pierre continues. Faced with particularly difficult weather conditions in Normandy, the captain chose not to attempt a second landing.

The plane then headed to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, where it landed safely half an hour later, our colleagues report.

For the passengers, the coach journey was an opportunity to revisit this significant episode. “In hindsight, I'm still surprised that the flight went ahead, especially with such a storm forecast in Caen”, Pierre confides. “Why did you take the risk? It was really strange not to cancel it in such conditions.”