Summary Crabbed landing is a difficult maneuver, with a fuselage angled into the wind to counteract crosswind. B-52 Stratrofortresses perform a crabbed landing uniquely due to their size and structure. B-52s land using steerable bogies to align with the runway in a crab-like maneuver.
A crabbed landing is performed during crosswind when an aircraft is landed by pointing the nose of the aircraft into the wind on landing. The name comes from how crabs walk sideways on the beach (crabs face one direction but walk in a different direction). As the nose of the aircraft points into the wind, the aircraft moves towards the runway.
B-52 Stratrofortresses can't perform crabbed landing like normal aircraft. The way B-52s perform a crabbed landing is unique and is one of the many unique features of the B-52 . What a crabbed landing is During a crabbed landing approach, there are four phases: the approach phase, the final approach, the touchdown, and the rollout.
During the approach phase, the pilot flies the aircraft towards the runway with the nose pointed into the wind to counter the crosswind . This means the aircraft's fuselage is not lined up on the runway but is angled somewhat into the wind. Just before touching down, the pilot may perform a makeover known as "de-crabbing" or "kicking out" by aligning the aircraft's fuselage with the runway centerline.
The pilot maintains the crab angle on the final approach to counteract the crosswind and keep the aircraft tracking straight towa.