The video we posted yesterday of Minden’s Tanker 55 landing on only two of its three landing gears was pretty good, but this one is much better. Click on the full screen in the bottom-right corner when you view it.

I was not aware until seeing this video that the crew was fighting a strong crosswind as they landed. This would have been a challenge for a pilot with a fully functioning aircraft. For these guys to pull this off and keep it on the runway until the last second, is amazing. They did a great job and I’m glad there were no injuries. It is impressive that they were able to keep the left wing off the ground for as long as they did without the benefit of the left main landing gear.

It is interesting that an Air Crane helicopter was flying overhead. I assume they were ready to drop water on the P2V if there was a fire.

It’s hard to tell the extent of damage, but maybe Minden can have it up and running in a few weeks or months. It was a smart move flying to Minden’s base for the landing. They had to burn off 90 minutes of fuel anyway, and having it at their headquarters will facilitate the repairs. (Those 90 minutes must have seemed like an eternity!)