{"id":28623058,"date":"2026-10-18T21:48:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/landing-gear-wont-retract-what-pilots-do-fuel-dump-overweight-landing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:48:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:48:48","slug":"landing-gear-wont-retract-what-pilots-do-fuel-dump-overweight-landing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/landing-gear-wont-retract-what-pilots-do-fuel-dump-overweight-landing\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Landing Gear Won&#8217;t Retract: What Pilots Do Next"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Gear up. The pilot moves the lever, the hydraulics whine, and a few seconds later the wheels should be tucked away behind closed doors. Then a warning appears instead, or a gear leg simply stays where it is, hanging in the slipstream.<\/p>\r\n<p>That is what happened on Saturday, 17 October 2026, to Edelweiss flight WK34, an Airbus A340-300 bound from Zurich to Punta Cana. Instead of crossing the Atlantic, the jet spent the early afternoon over the Swiss Alps getting light enough to land, then returned to Zurich. A separate Afterburner news report covers the flight itself.<\/p>\r\n<p>When the landing gear won't retract, the crew's response follows a logic that is almost entirely about physics: speed limits, drag, fuel and weight. Here is how that decision tree works.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>VLO:<\/strong> Maximum speed for extending or retracting the gear (14 CFR 25.1515)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>VLE:<\/strong> Maximum speed for flying with the gear locked down<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Main problem:<\/strong> Gear-down drag raises fuel burn and makes FMS fuel predictions unreliable<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>A340-313 weights:<\/strong> Max takeoff 276.5 t, max landing 192 t (EASA type certificate)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Options before landing:<\/strong> Hold to burn fuel, jettison fuel, or land overweight<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Dump altitude:<\/strong> 5,000 to 6,000 ft above ground is sufficient in most conditions, per SKYbrary<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Cautionary case:<\/strong> Hapag-Lloyd 3378, an A310 that ran out of fuel with its gear down in 2000<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Two Speed Limits Written in the Rulebook<\/h2>\r\n<p>Landing gear was never designed to sit in a fast airstream. US certification rules for airliners, 14 CFR 25.1515, define two separate speed limits. VLO, the landing gear operating speed, is the fastest the gear may be extended or retracted. If the two differ, they become VLO(EXT) and VLO(RET). VLE, the landing gear extended speed, is the fastest the aircraft may fly with the gear secured in the fully extended position.<\/p>\r\n<p>The exact numbers are type-specific and live in each aircraft's flight manual, but the principle is universal. With a gear leg stuck down, the crew is capped at VLE for the rest of the flight, well below normal cruise speed. The doors and struts were built for a short trip through the airflow during takeoff and landing, not for hours of cruise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/edelweiss-a340-centre-gear-final-approach-zurich.jpg\" alt=\"Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 on final approach at Zurich with all three main gear legs down\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An Edelweiss A340-300 on finals at Zurich. Between the two four-wheel wing gears sits the twin-wheel centre gear, the leg that would not retract on WK34. Photo: Gerry Stegmeier \/ Wikimedia Commons, GFDL 1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>The next problem is drag. SKYbrary notes that fuel consumption with flaps, slats and landing gear deployed, fully or partially, is significantly higher than in the clean configuration. Worse, the flight management system has no idea. Its fuel predictions assume the gear is up after takeoff, so with a leg hanging out the computer keeps showing optimistic numbers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;As there is no direct input from the landing gear to the FMS, the FMS fuel predictions are based on the assumption that the &ldquo;normal&rdquo; gear profile has been followed. From this, it is apparent that the fuel predictions will no longer be valid during a gear down ferry or in the event that the gear fails to retract on selection.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>SKYbrary<\/strong> &mdash; aviation safety knowledge base, &ldquo;Abnormal Aircraft Configuration and FMS Fuel Predictions&rdquo;<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why Crews Almost Always Turn Back<\/h2>\r\n<p>In theory, an airliner can fly a long way with its gear down. Gear-down ferry flights are a recognised procedure, and SKYbrary says crews must use the flight manual's fuel penalties and limitations for them, load extra fuel before departure, ignore the FMS predictions and calculate range from actual fuel flow. That is fine when it is planned. It is no basis for an Atlantic crossing on fuel loaded for a clean aircraft.<\/p>\r\n<p>The textbook case is Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378. On 12 July 2000, an Airbus A310 left Chania on Crete for Hannover with 143 passengers and eight crew. After four attempts, the gear would not retract, so the crew left it down and continued north, reasoning that fuel would have to be burned off before landing anyway. Using the FMS, they planned to stop at Munich instead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/hapag-lloyd-a310-d-ahlb-flight-3378-aircraft.jpg\" alt=\"Hapag-Lloyd Airbus A310-304 D-AHLB taxiing at Frankfurt in 1998\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">D-AHLB, the Hapag-Lloyd A310 that later flew Flight 3378, photographed at Frankfurt in 1998. In July 2000 it ran out of fuel with its gear down short of Vienna. Photo: Aero Icarus \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>Munich was never within reach. The fuel fell far faster than the computer predicted, the crew diverted to Vienna, and both engines flamed out about 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the runway. The A310 touched down on the grass about 660 metres short of runway 34. Everyone survived, about 26 passengers suffered minor injuries using the slides, and the aircraft was written off. SKYbrary still uses the case to teach why gear-down fuel numbers cannot be trusted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6Wm6V8zwI9A\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">Green Dot Aviation reconstructs Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378 and how a gear-down A310 ran out of fuel before Vienna.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Too Heavy to Land: Burn, Dump or Land Overweight<\/h2>\r\n<p>Turning back solves the range problem and creates a weight problem. A long-haul jet takes off close to its maximum weight, much of it fuel, and the maximum landing weight is far lower. For the A340-313, EASA's type certificate data sheet lists a maximum takeoff mass of 276.5 tonnes and a maximum landing mass of 192 tonnes, with the exact figures depending on the weight variant. Minutes after takeoff, a fully fuelled jet can be tens of tonnes too heavy to land within limits.<\/p>\r\n<p>SKYbrary sets out three ways forward. Crews can hold and burn fuel, which is close to normal flying but keeps the aircraft airborne longer. They can jettison fuel, which is quick but has to be coordinated so it does not affect other aircraft or people on the ground. Or they can land overweight, which is shortest but reduces performance margins and generally requires a special inspection afterwards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;While all three procedures (burn fuel, dump fuel, land overweight) are considered safe, it is the pilot&rsquo;s task to assess the factors above and choose the optimal one for the particular situation.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>SKYbrary<\/strong> &mdash; aviation safety knowledge base, &ldquo;Overweight Landing&rdquo;<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Not every airliner can dump fuel. Under 14 CFR 25.1001, a jettison system is only mandatory if the aircraft cannot meet its climb requirements at maximum takeoff weight minus the fuel for a 15-minute circuit. Most twin-engine narrowbodies, including every Boeing 737 and the A320 family, therefore have no dump system and must burn fuel or land heavy. Larger long-haul types are different: the Boeing 777 and 787 always have one, according to Wikipedia's overview, and most three- and four-engine jets such as the 747, A340 and A380 do too.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/airbus-a340-600-fuel-jettison-nozzle.jpg\" alt=\"Fuel streaming from the jettison nozzle of an Airbus A340-600 over the Atlantic\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An Airbus A340-600 jettisoning fuel over the Atlantic near Nova Scotia, seen from the cabin. Fuel leaves through a dedicated nozzle on the wing and largely evaporates on the way down. Photo: Bobmil42 \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>When fuel is dumped, altitude matters. SKYbrary advises jettisoning high enough for the fuel to evaporate before it reaches the ground, saying 5,000 to 6,000 feet above ground level is sufficient in most conditions. Crews coordinate with air traffic control, which usually assigns a dedicated area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R9oqi6HteJg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">Captain Joe explains why airliners dump fuel before an unplanned landing and how the system works.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Happens on the Flight Deck<\/h2>\r\n<p>The first move is the checklist. A gear disagreement or an unsafe-door warning brings up an abnormal procedure on the ECAM or EICAS display, or in the QRH, and the crew works through it at a safe altitude below the gear speed limits. On WK34, AirLive reported that the crew levelled at about 8,000 feet for some 20 minutes, then climbed to 22,000 feet to complete the non-normal checklists.<\/p>\r\n<p>Air traffic control plays its part. SKYbrary's guidance for controllers tells them to expect holding requests, the need for time, possibly low passes so engineers on the ground can inspect the gear visually, and rescue services on standby. They also ask for fuel endurance in minutes and keep updating it, because a gear-down aircraft burns fuel faster than anyone expects.<\/p>\r\n<p>For WK34, Edelweiss spokesperson Andreas Marti told 20 Minuten that the centre gear, the additional landing gear under the middle of the fuselage, could not be retracted. aeroTELEGRAPH described the jet turning south, climbing and flying two loops over the Alps before returning. Tages-Anzeiger put the fuel jettisoned at about 45 tonnes, and a 20 Minuten reader filmed it streaming from the dump nozzle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Aufgrund des schweren Gewichts muss aktuell Treibstoff f&uuml;r die Landung abgelassen werden. (Because of the heavy weight, fuel currently has to be dumped for the landing.)&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Andreas Marti<\/strong> &mdash; Edelweiss spokesperson, to 20 Minuten, 17 October 2026 (translated from German)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why Gear Gets Stuck in the First Place<\/h2>\r\n<p>Often, nothing is broken in the gear itself. A large aircraft's retraction system is almost always hydraulic, says the FAA's Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook, with actuating cylinders, selector and sequence valves, uplocks, downlocks and door mechanisms all interconnected so the gear and doors move in the right order. A fault in any link, from a valve to a door actuator, can stop the sequence.<\/p>\r\n<p>Then there are the sensors. A squat switch on the main gear strut tells the aircraft whether it is on the ground and blocks retraction until the strut extends at takeoff. Many modern aircraft use proximity sensors instead, which detect a metal target without physical contact. The handbook notes that technicians must set those targets at the correct distance from the sensor, often with go\/no-go gauges. A target slightly out of place can make the computer believe a gear or door is somewhere it is not.<\/p>\r\n<p>Edelweiss said the faulty part on HB-JMC was replaced, though it did not say which part. WK34 took off again for Punta Cana at 17:10, 3 hours and 40 minutes late. The 23-year-old jet has only a few months of service left: aeroTELEGRAPH reports that its last Edelweiss flight is planned for 17 January 2027.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tcre74y7r7Q\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">VASAviation's ATC audio of a UPS Airbus A300 that could not retract its landing gear and returned to Louisville.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Boring Is the Goal<\/h2>\r\n<p>For passengers, a gear problem looks dramatic: the turn back, the circles over the mountains, perhaps a white mist streaming from the wing. For the crew it is a well-rehearsed sequence of limits and trade-offs. Stay below VLE, distrust the fuel computer, get the weight down and land.<\/p>\r\n<p>Hapag-Lloyd 3378 is the reason that sequence is drilled so hard. A stuck gear leg is rarely dangerous on its own. The danger begins when anyone forgets how much fuel it costs.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: 20 Minuten, aeroTELEGRAPH, AirLive, Tages-Anzeiger, EASA (TCDS A.015 Airbus A340), 14 CFR 25.1515 and 25.1001, SKYbrary, FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook (Airframe Vol. 2), Wikipedia (Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378; Fuel dumping)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What do pilots do when the landing gear won't retract?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">They stay below the gear speed limit, work through the abnormal checklist, and usually return to the departure airport or a nearby one. Because a heavy jet is often above its maximum landing weight soon after takeoff, they then hold to burn fuel, jettison fuel if the type has a dump system, or land overweight.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What are VLO and VLE?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">VLO is the landing gear operating speed, the maximum speed at which the gear may be extended or retracted. VLE is the landing gear extended speed, the maximum speed for flying with the gear locked down. Both are defined in the US certification rule 14 CFR 25.1515, and the actual values are set in each aircraft's flight manual.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can an airliner fly a long way with its landing gear down?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It can, but range collapses. SKYbrary notes that fuel burn with the gear down is significantly higher than in a clean configuration and that FMS fuel predictions become unreliable. Planned gear-down ferry flights use flight manual fuel penalties and extra fuel. An unplanned ocean crossing on fuel loaded for a clean aircraft is not an option.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happened on Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 12 July 2000, a Hapag-Lloyd Airbus A310 flying from Chania to Hannover could not retract its gear and continued with it down. The crew relied on FMS fuel predictions that did not account for the drag, diverted to Vienna, and both engines flamed out. The jet landed short of runway 34; everyone survived, but it was written off.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which airliners can dump fuel?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Under 14 CFR 25.1001, a jettison system is required only if an aircraft cannot meet its climb requirements near maximum takeoff weight. Most narrowbody twins, including the Boeing 737 and A320 family, have none. The Boeing 777 and 787 always have one, and most three- and four-engine jets such as the 747, A340 and A380 do too.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is an overweight landing dangerous?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">SKYbrary says burning fuel, dumping fuel and landing overweight are all considered safe options. An overweight landing gets the aircraft down fastest but reduces performance margins, so crews check runway length and brake energy, usually land manually, and the aircraft needs a special inspection afterwards. The pilot chooses the best option for the situation.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did Edelweiss flight WK34 return to Zurich?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 17 October 2026, the Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 HB-JMC flying from Zurich to Punta Cana returned because its centre landing gear could not be retracted, the airline told 20 Minuten. It jettisoned fuel over the Alps to reduce weight, landed in Zurich, had a part replaced and left again 3 hours 40 minutes late.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What causes landing gear retraction failures?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Large aircraft gear is almost always retracted hydraulically, using actuators, valves, uplocks and door mechanisms that must work in sequence. Faults can also come from sensors: squat switches and proximity sensors tell the aircraft whether it is on the ground and where the gear and doors are, and a misadjusted sensor target can produce a false indication.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What do pilots do when the landing gear won't retract?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"They stay below the gear speed limit, work through the abnormal checklist, and usually return to the departure airport or a nearby one. 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Gear up. The pilot moves the lever, the hydraulics whine, and a few seconds later the wheels should be tucked away behind closed doors. Then a warning appears instead, or a gear leg simply stays where it is, hanging in the slipstream. That is what happened on Saturday, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":28621437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28623058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Landing Gear Won&#039;t Retract: What Pilots Do Next | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When the landing gear won&#039;t retract, crews face speed limits, drag and weight: why they return, burn or dump fuel, or land overweight.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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