In tropical Africa, the weather can be treacherous. I took off from Korhogo, in Ivory Coast, with beautiful weather. But when making the approach to the airport of the capital Abidjan, a thunderstorm suddenly came up. The pilot decided not to divert to an other airport and tried to land. He failed. No, we did not crash, he accelarated at full speed just before touch down and lifted off again to turn around for another try. Lightning continuously flashed around the plane, which shook like a ping-pong ball on a rough sea. The second landing failed as the first one. The roaring engines, desperately trying to get the plane back in to the air, were frightening. Especially because you could see nothing else through the window than the slashing rain and the lightning. The third attempt was successfull. After the plane touched the ground, you could hear sighs of relief all over the plane and suddenly all people talked again. It was then that I realised that all passengers had been dead silent during this frightening landing.