Dreamlifter landed wrong airport - stuck?

oopsy daisy

 

Unload the cargo,defuel so that it can make the 12 mile trip to the next airport, and launch.

 

Just watched this story on Today. How in the world does that happen? How can they possibly takeoff on a runway that's 3000 feet too short?

 

Think that crew wants a do-over?

 

Face meet palm...

 

They're not the first... Wrong Way Landings By Commercial Airliners

 

I KNEW there was a reason they had a couple of JATOs just lying around!

CW

 

I posted this in Silver, but as a side note, he landed at Jabara. I used to read about Col. JJ Jabara, the first jet ace in American history. On my first visit to Arlington back in the 90s, I actually found his headstone. I'm sure I was probably about the only person there that day who knew who he was, but it was a neat experience for me.

 

Not so long ago a C-17 landed at Peter O Knight airfield while trying to return to MacDill.

Oops.

To make matters worse, it was carrying the head of CENTCOM.

Double oops.

Errant Landing of C-17 at Wrong Airport Was Human Error, Report Says | TheLedger.com

 

I found this in Jalopnik.

Listen To A 747 Pilot Realize He Doesn't Know Where The Hell He Landed

And another one

Taking Off Will Be Tricky After Jet Lands At Wrong Airport : The Two-Way : NPR

 

Yes, and maybe truck the wings (cargo) to the correct base in the middle of the night...???

 

They used a tow vehicle to turn her around and nothing else required since apparently the 747 footprint and the runway are a good match. No harm done to the aircraft or the runway and she can depart with no downloading.

When I was at Cannon AFB, two Navy pilots in a T-33 filed into the airfield for a stop and go. They arrived, called tower and were told he did not have them in sight. They said no problem, we have the airfield in sight, and proceeded to land at Clovis Municipal Airport, about 15 miles from Cannon on the wrong side of Clovis. Duly reported by ATC at Cannon and Clovis Muni, the Navy grounded both of them and sent another pilot to fly out the aircraft. That kind of stuff does not sit well with the military and I would not have wanted to be the C-17 aircrew with the Army 4 star on board. Can cost you your wings.

 

Unstuck.

But with a different crew!

Matt

 

Looks like the DreamLifter used a good portion of the runway for the take-off.
(The beginning of the t/o roll doesn't start until about 1:15 into the video).

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWwktHTMu_g]BOEING 747 DREAMLIFTER SUCCESFULL TAKE OFF FROM JABARA KAAO - YouTube[/ame]

 

Small footnote: the 4 star in question was a Marine.

 

I was in Tampa when that happened. The island that airport is on houses one of our hospitals and a bunch of wealthy people live there including Derek Jeter. There's only 1 road in and 1 road out via bridge. When that plane landed, they shut off the entrance and had a bunch of military vehicles get in, take the cargo I'm assuming, and have another parade of cars leave together.

Crazy takeoff video...looked close.

 

Tower: 4241 heavy, verify you are on the ground?
Pilot: We think so...

 

It happens. Pilots accept the visual approach before they have the airport in sight or they're looking at the wrong one. The problem with airports in close proximity is that the wind patters are the same and therefore the runways are constructed in similar directions. I always back up a visual with a published approach. If you feel to lazy to do that, just remember how embarrassing this situation would be.

 

Rumor was that the crew was pressured into a mission beyond their max duty day. No idea if there is truth to it but I have been there when there is a mission built that tries to skirt the rules. The pilots should catch it but sometimes on a multi leg mission there are factors that can't be predicted and you find yourself with no alternative but to press on.

 

I know of several incidents like this. During the war(WW2) there were several landings on MacDill when the pilots thought that they were on Drew. Then there was a DC-8 that landed at Troutdale, Ore. when they shooting for PDX...runways aligned on the same heading but 7 miles apart. The old axiom holds true, " Don't let the airplane get there before you do." Sectionals, approach plates, on board elex like GPS, and pre-op prep are a must. If you don't know where you're going you're not going to get there.

 

airports in south Florida are buried in a sea of lights and are near impossible to identify, more so if unfamiliar with the area... I refuse VFR approaches because of the ease to pick up a wrong airport... a few miles out, just looking forward often one can pick up several airports...

 

The same thing has happened in Anchorage. The municipal airport has a runway parallel to the military base a few miles to the west.

 

Interesting! I was in Tampa not long after the incident and heard people saying that the island was effectively closed after the incident. Fortunately, my flight landed in the right airport - the pilot, however, was telling stories of a commercial jet that landed at MacDill decades ago & the commotion caused when passengers deplaned under supervision of MPs.

 

Google maps shows how close Jabara Airport is to McConnell AFB.
The red "A" pinpoint on the map is Jabara and the green Arrow is McConnell AFB.

Notice how the two runways at the different airports are pretty much lined up with one another.

Looks like a pretty easy mistake to make.
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