DHL crew members Eric Gennotte, Steve Michielsen and Mario Rofail landed an A300 safely near Baghdad 25 minutes after a missile strike on Nov. 22, 2003. With three hydraulic circuits lost and a burning, fuel-leaking left wing, they steered with engine thrust.
The crew manually lowered the landing gear to slow the aircraft and switched to a shorter runway after it veered off course during descent. Captain Gennotte controlled the plane, Michielsen monitored distance and altitude, and flight engineer Rofail tracked fuel and handled radio communications. No crew members were injured.
A 2006 Smithsonian Magazine report said the incident encouraged pilots flying into Baghdad to use a corkscrew approach. At 18,000 feet, aircraft banked sharply and descended in a circle before straightening for landing, allowing crews to lose altitude while watching for potential threats.
