Aviation explained: Why airplanes land on their rear wheels first and not nosewheel?

The landing gear is designed to manage the plane's weight and impact during landing, whereas the nose gear can only carry 15 percent of the plane's weight.

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You've probably watched aircraft landings in movies, documentaries, and even in real life and pondered why the plane usually lands on its back wheels rather than its front. Why do pilots opt to land the plane on its back wheels? What is the rationale behind this decision? Is it a rule, or does it serve some purpose? Today, we will clear up the mystery and explain why an aircraft lands on its back wheels.

In order to understand this, you need to know where the centre of gravity is located. The "main landing gear" and the "nose landing gear" are two different types of landing gear on modern aircraft. To avoid a dramatic tilt, aircraft must land on the wheels closest to their centre of gravity.

Located at the aft, which is close to the aircraft's centre of gravity, the main landing gear (rear landing gear) bears the weight and impact of the aircraft during landing. The nose gear is the front of an aeroplane and can sustain 15 percent of its weight and is used on the ground to direct the aircraft.

767-300F landing.@rortos pic.twitter.com/UsZPUwgin9 — Flying Planes (@plane003) April 17, 2022

The final approach speed of a Boeing 737-800 is dependent on a number of factors, however, the majority of Boeing 737-800 operators adhere to a set norm.  Boeing 737-800 operators usually use Flap 30 rather than recommended Flap 40 setting while landing because it lessens the stress on the flap mechanism, consequently extending its service life by many years.

Short runways and airports with a steep approach path are often the only places where Flap 40 is employed. Flap settings may be affected by the weight of the aircraft, with bigger loads necessitating higher approaches and a faster landing speed than usual.

A Boeing 737-800's landing speed may be affected by factors like wind direction and flap settings. The VREF speed is typically 1.3 times the stall speed of the aeroplane. It means 130-150 knots for a Boeing 737-800. During an emergency, pilots may have to dump fuel to reduce the plane's weight, which might put stress on the landing gear.

Landing gear pressure may be alleviated by raising the nose of the aircraft, which increases the angle of attack on the wings and, therefore, slows the plane down. The main landing gear wheels will hit the runway first, followed by the nose gear wheels.

When a plane's nose gear touches down first, it's easy to see what may go wrong. Southwest Airlines Flight 345 is an excellent illustration of this. A flight from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to LaGuardia (LGN) made an emergency landing on July 22, 2013. The jet landed first on its nose gear. The plane's nose gear collapsed due to aircraft weight and force of impact, causing the plane to go off the runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later discovered that the captain had increased the flap setting from 30 degrees to 40 degrees 56 seconds before landing.  Furthermore, the NTSB found that many of the co-pilots who had worked with the captain of the Southwest Airlines Flight 345 in the past had expressed their dissatisfaction with the captain's performance.

Southwest terminated the pilot's employment and ordered the first officer to complete further training, but refused to identify the individual. Unfortunately, the plane's electronics sustained extensive damage and was declared a total loss.