[Takeoff Successful!] Large Cargo Plane Mistakenly Lands at Tiny Airport
Nov 21, 2013, 3:13 am
#1
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[Takeoff Successful!] Large Cargo Plane Mistakenly Lands at Tiny Airport
This takes the cake. What to do??? Kansas we have a problem, this time a VERY BIG ONE! 
An enormous cargo plane, a Boeing 747 Dreamlifter, mistakenly landed late Wednesday at the wrong airport in Wichita and is now believed to be stuck there.
Atlas Air Flight 4241 originated in New York and was scheduled to land at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, but instead landed at the smaller Jabara Airport a few miles away.
According to Boeing, the Dreamlifter’s cargo hold is the largest in the world, by volume. It is one of four custom aircraft employed by Boeing and used to haul 787 Dreamliner parts.
The mammoth plane needs 9,199 feet of runway to take off at maximum weight, but the runway length at Jabara is just 6,101 feet.
It is not presently known why the plane landed at the smaller airport but it appears to have been a mistake.
Air traffic control audio recorded during the incident shows the disoriented pilots thought they had landed at Beech Factory Airport in Wichita before realizing they were actually at Jabara.
Photos and the full article.
SOURCE:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/passantino/m...as-airport-and
Atlas Air Flight 4241 originated in New York and was scheduled to land at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, but instead landed at the smaller Jabara Airport a few miles away.
According to Boeing, the Dreamlifter’s cargo hold is the largest in the world, by volume. It is one of four custom aircraft employed by Boeing and used to haul 787 Dreamliner parts.
The mammoth plane needs 9,199 feet of runway to take off at maximum weight, but the runway length at Jabara is just 6,101 feet.
It is not presently known why the plane landed at the smaller airport but it appears to have been a mistake.
Air traffic control audio recorded during the incident shows the disoriented pilots thought they had landed at Beech Factory Airport in Wichita before realizing they were actually at Jabara.
Photos and the full article.
SOURCE:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/passantino/m...as-airport-and
Nov 21, 2013, 3:40 am
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Nov 21, 2013, 4:11 am
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The story says we don't know "why" he landed at the incorrect airport. That's the thing. There must be something missing from this story. It just doesn't make sense for a modern jetliner with fully qualified and professional pilots to simply "get lost" and land at a wrong airport by "mistake".
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
Last edited by WindowSeat123; Nov 21, 2013 at 4:31 am
Nov 21, 2013, 4:49 am
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The story says we don't know "why" he landed at the incorrect airport. That's the thing. There must be something missing from this story. It just doesn't make sense for a modern jetliner with fully qualified and professional pilots to simply "get lost" and land at a wrong airport by "mistake".
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/video.../1749015695001
Nov 21, 2013, 5:23 am
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I know nothing. Let me guess. You could remove the cargo, take off with less fuel and than takeoff on this short runway? Than fly to the correct airport? To commercial pilots?: What to do??? I know many read FT. What would you do?
I just "fly on an airplane". I do not "fly an airplane". Screw-ups happen, very, very rarely. SCREW-UP - this is it. Top News Story 2 hours ago on CNN and Fox News @ 2AM PST.
At least this time they were not flying over MSP trying to figure the new schedule with the NW/DL merger. Or taking off on a taxiway. Or any passengers onboard. It was a military "charter" flt. Perhaps only a nuke was onboard? I do not know.
My question. How to get the plane out of this "airport"?
Boeing, I now hear is sending a "crew or team" to figure it out. Good luck.
I'll wait until tomorrow as to HOW DID THIS HAPPEN... TOMORROWS NEWS.
I just "fly on an airplane". I do not "fly an airplane". Screw-ups happen, very, very rarely. SCREW-UP - this is it. Top News Story 2 hours ago on CNN and Fox News @ 2AM PST.
At least this time they were not flying over MSP trying to figure the new schedule with the NW/DL merger. Or taking off on a taxiway. Or any passengers onboard. It was a military "charter" flt. Perhaps only a nuke was onboard? I do not know.
My question. How to get the plane out of this "airport"?
Boeing, I now hear is sending a "crew or team" to figure it out. Good luck.
I'll wait until tomorrow as to HOW DID THIS HAPPEN... TOMORROWS NEWS.
Nov 21, 2013, 5:34 am
#9
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Fantastic landing. Check out this airport and the incidents (just updated).
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Colonel_James_Jabara_Airport
Incidents
On November 20th, 2013, a Boeing 747-400 Dreamlifter, operated by Atlas Air, landed at the Colonel James Jabara Airport approximately 11:00pm CST. Information is still being developed on the issue.
We'll that was fast to POST! At this airport - first Incident? That is what it says. I think they have a great coffee shop as well.
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Colonel_James_Jabara_Airport
Incidents
On November 20th, 2013, a Boeing 747-400 Dreamlifter, operated by Atlas Air, landed at the Colonel James Jabara Airport approximately 11:00pm CST. Information is still being developed on the issue.
We'll that was fast to POST! At this airport - first Incident? That is what it says. I think they have a great coffee shop as well.
Last edited by kettle1; Nov 21, 2013 at 5:42 am Reason: update on airport
Nov 21, 2013, 5:44 am
#10
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Off-load fuel and cargo until your minimum required runway is shorter than runway available.
Bring in a new flight crew, because something tells me this crew isn't going to be flying for a while.
If a runway is oriented the direction you're expecting, and in about the place where you expect to find it, your brain will fill in the rest when your goal is to complete the mission.
It's happened before. Sometimes with disasterous consequences.
Bring in a new flight crew, because something tells me this crew isn't going to be flying for a while.
If a runway is oriented the direction you're expecting, and in about the place where you expect to find it, your brain will fill in the rest when your goal is to complete the mission.
It's happened before. Sometimes with disasterous consequences.
Nov 21, 2013, 6:26 am
#11
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Love the way CNN report this as oh well its no big deal no one got hurt we will figure it out, but if that had been say in China there would be a whole bunch of irrelevant reports showing how dumb and stupid they think people in Asia are. No wouldnt want to make it look like anything ever goes wrong in the USA now would we CNN.
Nov 21, 2013, 6:41 am
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The 11 minute clip of the crew's conversation with the air traffic controller is interesting. The ATC asks them several times about their approach (when trying to determine where exactly they landed) and if they circled around or came straight in (I am not using the technical terms, which escape me now) and they have a hard time answering the question.
Nov 21, 2013, 7:00 am
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The story says we don't know "why" he landed at the incorrect airport. That's the thing. There must be something missing from this story. It just doesn't make sense for a modern jetliner with fully qualified and professional pilots to simply "get lost" and land at a wrong airport by "mistake".
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
Unless there is an issue with the plane (i.e. malfunctioning flight instruments) or some other emergency situation, commercial pilots do not "take the wrong turn", so-to-speak. All parts of a commercial flight is careful planned and vetted by the flight dispatcher and approved by the relevant authorities before the flight takes off. Combined with modern navigational aids (i.e. VORs, GPS), transponder, CPDLC (Controller–pilot data link communications) and radio communication, getting "lost" is not something that is supposed to happen in this day and age.
But a B52 managed to fly from the US, intending to put in an appearance at Farnborough Air Show - and managed to put in an appearance at an entirely different airfield to the north. It could be seen - distantly - by the airshow attendees which in a way was almost worse as everyone knew what had happened. If you read through the thread, you'll see that they then repeated the exact same error the next day - I was there on the day after, and can confirm that they did manage to find the right airfield on the third attempt
http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-138328.html
Nov 21, 2013, 7:02 am
#15
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It happens more often than you might think --
http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/video.../1749015695001
http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/video.../1749015695001
Notice quite a number of those "landing-at-the-wrong-airport" situations in that list you provided occur outside the US and in some less developed third world location (where plane maintenance or pilot training may be at a lower standard).
If you just take the US incidents in your list and compare to the total number of commercial flights at year just in the US alone, the "wrong airport" flights are very tiny as a ratio to the total number of flights. You could very likely take a flight every day in your life and not encounter the "incorrect airport" situation.
In any case, short of an aircraft malfunction or other emergencies, this kind of cases are not supposed to happen. Therefore, the pilots deserved at least a reprimand by his bosses without a satisfactory explanation.
Last edited by WindowSeat123; Nov 21, 2013 at 7:09 am