Landing Sensations
Why does it feel like we are landing sideways?
Short answer: The pilot is using a safe, advanced technique called 'crabbing'.
When the wind blows strongly across the runway, pilots deliberately point the nose of the plane into the wind. This drives the plane in a perfectly straight line toward the runway—just like steering a boat slightly upstream to cross a fast river. Right before touching down, they straighten the nose out. It looks funny out the window, but it is highly controlled and completely safe.