When landing on an aircraft carrier, what hits the deck first, the wheels of the aircraft or the arresting hook?
by 
kuyakev
ANSWERS: 3
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What an interesting question - got me curious. I went Googling and found this site: http://science.howstuffworks.com/aircraft-carrier4.htm It looks (to me) as if the hook never actually hits the deck, because the wires it is intended to catch are suspended above the deck.
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The hook, i think
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Actually, the tail hook hangs behind and below the wheels on the aircraft. The tailhook hits the flight deck slightly before the wheels do. There are three steel wires on an aircraft carrier flight deck and they each have devices under them that keep them elevated so the tailhook can catch them. If these wires break they can whip across the flight deck and cut crewmen in half or cut their legs off.
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