Phones on flight landings? Any pilots or cabin crew about?

[BettyMon]

I've just got back from holiday. Each way consisted of two flights, so four overall. On the fair 3 I was allowed to keep my iPad and phone on during take off & landing. On the fourth I was allowed them on during take off and the majority of the flight, but when the crew was told to prepare for landing they put an announcement out to say all electronics had to be switched completely off for an 'exceptional landing'. Then the crew came around and checked everyone had everything switched off.

They can't interfere with the plane signals or anything or we'd have to turn everything off on every landing, but it was just this one. Same airline for all 4 flights so not different rules.

What would've been going on? Why do some flights ask for electronics to be turned off? I was terrified something had gone badly wrong.

Was it foggy? Pilot might have landed plane manually.

It just depends on what type of landing they are using and what instruments or automatic systems are required. It's unlikely that a phone would affect it but safer just to get everyone to turn them off if the landing is exceptional; which they did.

Ah yes, it was really foggy, could barely see a car in front of me on the drive back home. Do phones interfere more with manual landings or something?

The pilots would have needed to rely more on the instruments due to poor visibility so important all phones etc switched off. In reality every single passenger could have their phone on and you would have been fine

Fog would mean an auto land and with no visibility outside pilots are relying completely on instruments. Therefore, they don't want to take any risks with possible interference.

Cross post!

As well as making absolutely sure they can't interfere with electrics, having them switched off for an exceptional landing also means that all passengers are (more or less) alert, hands free, and not distracted in case of emergency announcements, the need to adopt the brace position, and/or evacuation of the plane.