Quixplained: Is a foam path for an emergency belly landing effective?

A flight with a Covid-19 patient made an emergency belly landing in Mumbai last week after losing one wheel. As a precaution, airport officials sprayed foam on the runway. What is a belly landing, why was foam sprayed on the runway and is this method of safety effective? Take a look.

Emergency landing on a foamy runway

A flight made an emergency landing in Mumbai last week.

What’s a belly landing?

What is a foam path?

Is a foam runway effective?

Although originally it was thought that foam paths would prevent fires, the practice is now discouraged. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommended foam paths for emergency landings in around 1966, but withdrew that recommendation in 1987, although not barring its use.

Also in Quixplained | How do you double mask? Dos and don’ts