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A video of a pilot landing a plane in stormy weather conditions has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip, which so far has received over 101,000 views, was posted July 12 by @captainrick79, a pilot who describes himself as an "Airbus driver" on his TikTok profile.
The footage shows an aerial view from the cockpit over some buildings under a dark gray sky, with rain hitting the window. The rain appears to get heavier, and the buildings are soon no longer visible from the window.
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A caption shared with the post reads: "HEAVY RAIN, POOR VISIBILITY and RED LIGHTNING ALERT. A Perfect Combination for a Challenge. This is what we are made and trained for."
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How Dangerous Is It to Fly in Stormy Weather?
In general, planes can handle "significant amounts of rain" without any trouble, according to the Pilot Institute, an aviation training provider accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training. The institute is also a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety team industry member.
Heavy rain will only be problematic when visibility is reduced near the runway or "unique weather phenomena" are present and cause rain droplets to freeze on the aircraft.
If the rainfall is heavy enough, forward visibility may drop below the required level for safe operation close to and on the ground. This condition is usually "short-lived and rare" and only associated with thunderstorms, the Pilot Institute said.
In an advisory dated February 2013, the FAA said: "Weather recognizable as a thunderstorm should be considered hazardous, as penetration of any thunderstorm can lead to an aircraft accident and fatalities to those on board."
Visibility is typically "near zero within a thunderstorm cloud" and "hazards are increased when associated with the other thunderstorm hazards of turbulence, hail, and lightning that make precision instrument flying virtually impossible," the FAA added.
Pressure usually falls rapidly with the approach of a thunderstorm. It later rises sharply with the first gust of the storm and the arrival of the cold downdraft and heavy rain, before dropping to normal as the thunderstorm passes. "This cycle of pressure change may occur in 15 minutes," the FAA said.
While serious accidents due to lightning strikes are "extremely rare," the FAA said, lightning can "puncture the skin of an aircraft and can damage communications and electronic navigational equipment."
The FAA added: "Nearby lightning can blind the pilot, rendering the pilot momentarily unable to navigate either by instrument or by visual reference."
'That Weather Was Crazy'
A message overlaid on the TikTok clip says "heavy rain today" as the rainfall continues, while a windshield wiper is seen moving in the screen's bottom corner.
Nothing appears visible from the cockpit except for the heavy rain pouring down the window. About a minute passes before some semblance of a runway appears through the window. The lights on the runway become visible, and the plane gently lands amid the ongoing rainfall as the clip ends.
Several TikTokers were very impressed by the plane's safe landing in the video, and some worried that the windshield wiper needs replacing.
Bryanphaby noted, "That weather was crazy."
Rishikesh Sah said, "Wiper is out of order," and Amair Alain From HYD wrote, "Change your wipers."
The original poster reassured them: "It's perfectly working. It's just not seen in this angle."
User IndigenousKarakorum asked: "Do you use auto pilot or land it manually in such conditions." The original poster said: "This was landed manually."
User riqou99 said, "Amazing job!" and Into Space wrote, "Respect."
User @alix0oo noted: "Great job super control nice and smooth landing."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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