What would happen if a Boeing 747 landed with only its nose landing bogie and two inner landing gear bogies? Lets just say that the landing gear bogies near the wings didnt extend. Would the plane land properly or get crushed under its own weight?
by 
kuyakev
ANSWERS: 4
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My guess would be that if they landed *very* carefully, there would be no problems. Make sure there is no crosswind and you can let down gently. A 2:1 safety margin would not be unusual.
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Actually with half of the landing gears they could land safely and smoothly...Actually, they could land without them, but that is really difficult when piloting a big jet like a 747 or a 777.
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If the landing were executed very carefully with no other contributing factors it could be done. One potential problem would be which landing gears extended? If it extended as you say, the plane could still be balanced, however if the two extended gears were not as equally spaced, you could loose some balance. This problem could be solved by a fuel transfer or a jettison before landing. As others have said, with no crosswind and a soft touchdown it could be done smoothly without the passengers even knowing there was a problem. The touchdown would probably put a little undue stress on the gear mechanism and tires, but if its landing with only three gears on the ground, chances are the 747 in question is going to be making a visit to the maintenance hangar anyway.
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Nose gear and body gear only is a well practiced procedure. The landing and rollout would be normal. The aircraft would be halted on the runway, and not taxied.
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