It was Southwest Flight 3316, which took off from Orlando, Fla., at 1:45 p.m. Sunday bound for Pittsburgh International in Findlay only to end up at the Allegheny County Airport, a general aviation facility typically reserved for Cessnas, Pipers and corporate jets — not Boeing 737s carrying 143 passengers.
The jet touched down in West Mifflin, about 18 nautical miles short of its destination, at 3:58 p.m. when it ran low on fuel. According to Southwest, the pilot made the decision “to avoid using contingency fuel reserve after being in a holding pattern by air traffic controllers.” The plane landed safely.
At the time, the air space around Pittsburgh International was closed off because of the Wings over Pittsburgh air show, raising questions about whether the restrictions played a role in forcing a commercial airliner low on fuel to look elsewhere for a landing spot.
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He stressed that there are procedures in place to stop the show and clear air space for commercial airliners in emergencies. Those procedures include an air traffic controller on the ground who is in touch with the control tower in Pittsburgh and the approach facility, he said.
“Safety trumps all. We have no problem stopping the show for safety at any point,” said Maj. Baker, chief of air crew training at the 911th. “We don’t want to be diverting anybody into Allegheny County Airport.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the flight restrictions were in place around the airport from 3:15 p.m. to 4:06 p.m. on Sunday, as the Southwest flight was headed into Pittsburgh.
In its statement, the FAA said the pilot requested to divert to the county airport but did not report an emergency.
That differs somewhat from the Southwest statement. It said that “out of an abundance of caution, the captain in command declared an emergency to receive priority handling from air traffic controllers to use the alternate airport.”
Based on the statements, it does not appear that the pilot asked for the air space restrictions to be lifted so that the plane could land at Pittsburgh International.
Wonder if the pilot was ex-military. They usually have no problem asking for clearance when getting close to their reserve, but they may have chosen to divert rather than mess with the rebirth of a popular airshow.