Kenya Airways (KQ) pilot Ruth Karauri has explained how she managed to skillfully land a plane at Heathrow Airport in London at the height of Storm Eunice on Friday.
Mrs Karauri, assisted by First Officer, Clive Nyachieo, delivered a near-perfect landing at the busy airport where some pilots struggled to land due to strong winds of up to 112.65 km/hr.
In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Mrs Karauri battled the force of the winds to expertly time her landing on the runway before bringing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane to halt, after a long journey from Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
In the impressive landing, the pilots masterfully made use of the plane’s ailerons and rudders to navigate through the strong winds.
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The video was shared online by Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Patrick Njoroge who lauded the duo for the job well done.
Other Kenyans joined in to express their admiration for the national career crew’s skills.
Well, Mrs Karauri has finally explained how the crew managed to execute the landing.
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In a video shared by KQ on Sunday, the captain said they relied on their professional training back in Kenya to maneuver the strong winds that wreak havoc across Western Europe.
“This is Captain Ruth Karauri of the now-famous KQ100 at London Heathrow. With me is my first officer of the day, Ayoob Harunany. We had the pleasure of encountering storm Eunice at London Heathrow yesterday (Friday, February 18). We were landing on the Westerly Runway into Heathrow,” she said.
“The flight conditions were strong gusting winds and it was quite a bumpy ride. However, thanks to the training we have had at Kenya Airways, particularly in the simulator, it prepared us for such a scenario. We used all our training expertise and skills that we have managed to learn over the years at Kenya Airways and we handled the learning expertly. It was a pleasure flying all our amazing passengers into London Heathrow yesterday.”
Capt. Ruth Karauri, skillfully landed KQ100 B787 amidst Storm Eunice at Heathrow Airport together with First Officer, Ayoob Harunany. #ThePrideofAfrica is proud of you. #StormEuniceLondon pic.twitter.com/ddhtEkcqnD
— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) February 19, 2022
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Mrs Karauri is the wife of Captain Ronald Karauri, a former KQ pilot who quit to head SportPesa, a local sports betting company.
Here is the video showing the plane landing at Heathrow.
KQ pilots execute a near-perfect landing yesterday morning at Heathrow 27L, despite strong winds from #StormEunice. Ailerons and rudder action, and the increased pitch reveal the serious work that was being done. Respect! 👊🏼@KenyaAirways @ms_koki The Pride of Africa! https://t.co/a14M6X9ahc
— Patrick Njoroge (@njorogep) February 19, 2022
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