Oh dear, commercial pilots gettting lost!

[Geffen]

And I thought it was only on the ground in airports pilots got lost?
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?floc=FF-APO-1120&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20040115%2F2223138071.htm&sc=1120&&photoid=20040115XINT103

[Airbubba]

It happens occasionally. A few years ago Delta landed at Frankfort, Kentucky, instead of Lexington and MacDill Air Force Base instead of Tampa. Northwest landed at Brussels instead of Frankfurt. Saudia landed at a short military strip in the Indian city formerly known at Madras. There have been many other cases of mistaken airport identity.

__________________________________________

Posted on Thu, Jan. 15, 2004

Plane lands at wrong airport

Passengers bound for State College go to Philipsburg
By Anne Danahy

[email protected]

Patience was probably the most-needed virtue for passengers aboard a plane coming from Pittsburgh and bound for University Park Airport Friday.

The daily flight on a US Airways affiliate Shuttle America plane ended up landing at Mid-State Regional Airport in Rush Township -- close, but not the chosen destination.

"When the pilot walked in, he said, 'Here's one for the news,' " said Joanne Shields, business secretary at Mid-State Airport, which is near Philipsburg.

US Airways spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said the company did transport passengers from Philipsburg to State College on Friday. She referred all other questions to Shuttle America, which she said is one of six affiliated carriers in the US Airways Express network.

Despite several attempts over two days, no one from Shuttle America would comment on the flight, which is a daily route from Pittsburgh to State College.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the agency would not receive a report on such an incident. [huh?]

Shields said her understanding is the pilot wasn't familiar with the area and, when landing, somehow ended up flying in to Mid-State.

That airport handles mostly private planes, not commuter flights, so an unannounced landing is not unheard of, Shields said.

But not having radio communication was a little strange.

Shields said she and her husband were working and when they saw the plane pull in they tried to contact the pilot on the radio to see if assistance was needed.

But he must have had his radio set to a different frequency.

"We waited for (the pilot) to come in and see what they needed. They wouldn't allow any passengers to get off because of security reasons," Shields said.

The passengers had to wait on the plane at least an hour until a van could be dispatched from University Park to retrieve the passengers.

Eight passengers were on board, Shields said.

Shields said the pilot apparently made a phone call from the office to a flight service center.

"They faxed him page after page of things. I guess he had to report it as an incident of some sort," Shields said.


http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/local/7716354.htm

[WHBM]

I once heard a rumuor that someone once did a complete flying display over the wrong airport, headed for the airshow at Duxford they did their display overhead Cambridge instead. Anyone got any details of this ? (Control room at Cambridge going beserk but the pilot was not on their frequency !)

[av8boy]

KPSB and KUNV are about 13 miles apart, both have the same runway configuration: 16/34 and 6/24, and both are uncontrolled. I'd guess that on that route of flight, PSB came along first and probably lined-up pretty well with where UNV was supposed to be, even if it was a little early. If it was a visual approach (and I GOTTA think it was...), an airport showing up in pretty much the right neighborhood with the proper numbers on the ends of the runways might present a tempting target.

However, both of these airports have an ILS and there is a VOR roughly between them, so it wasn't really like visual ID was the only way. I'll be interested to hear the particulars. Pity they didn't see their error before they touched down. Seems like a classic, "there but for the grace of God..." event to me.

Dave

PS (FYI) Shuttle America shows up in the FAA database as a Part 121 operation with 20 SF-340s, DBA USAIRWAYS Express. Six years in business and based in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

[alexb757]

These kind of "incidents" are rare (which is why they make the news) but do occasionally happen.

In addition to the ones already mentioned, there are more...over the years. A Pan Am 707 once landed short of Heathrow...@ RAF Northolt which is why for years now a gas storage tank in Southall on the final approach to RW 23 has the letters "L H R" painted on it!

Also, in the 80s a Dan Air HS748 turboprop landed at the other (disused, not City, I cannot recall the name) Belfast airport, several miles southwest of the intended Aldergrove airport.

Usually these things happen when the airports are in close proximity to each other with VERY SIMILAR runway layouts and other visual markings. Of course, that is no excuse and one should always remember that even in VFR, you should ALWAYS back it up with radio aids such as ILS/GPS/ADF, if it's available. If not, confirm with that the tower has you visual. The clue is if they cannot see you.

When I used to fly regularly into KLAS, the weather was VFR almost 100% of the time and it was very rare to do a full ILS to minima. Even though the approaches were all VFR, company SOPs dictated that we always backed it up with the ILS. If in IFR, that is also the reason you need to tune and CORRECTLY identify the beacon. If it ain't right then don't go trogging on! Proper planning, then execution. Seems like both pilots got duped!

[Floppy Link]

Dan Air HS748 turboprop landed at the other (disused, not City, I cannot recall the name)

Langford Lodge

[Compass Call]

I can remember about 20 years ago, a corporate VIP jet was tasked to fly from UK to OMAN to pick up VIP passengers. It arrived at AMMAN with a very bemused crew looking for their VIPs. :E :E :E

CC

[Huck]

Two of the three airlines I have worked for have had jets do low approaches into the little gen av airport about five miles out on final to Newburgh, New York (KSWF). One was a DC10 that went around at about 50 feet. And the other airline (my current one) had a 727 land at Oshkosh instead of Appleton, Wisconsin. No, not during the airshow!

[Onan the Clumsy]

When I first came to America I bought an airline ticket out of New York because it was so cheap. Turned out I had incorrectly agreed to go to Dulles, not Dallas.

That's when I learned to call it DFW.


Perhaps I shouldn't mention the time I headed for the wrong airport only to be told of my mistake at which point I found the right airport and made an approach to the wrong runway!

That's when I learned to back the approach up with the ILS.



I'd say it's surprisingly easy to get it wrong.

[miss d point]

well everyone is all up for taking out of service the ndb markers so the final back up is lost.

[Ignition Override]

How about call-outs during a visual approach?

At some airlines, the non-flying (non-handling) pilot is NOT required to state "localizer active (alive)" unless on an instrument approach.

Even though we back-up each visual with an ILS, is it a bit ironic that no such call-outs are required, especially in night visual conditions when groups of airports in a given area will look almost identical, or the wrong parallel runway (BNA and many others) will have bright approach lights on-we see the closest runway/approach lights before we see the lights for the correct runway, especially if flying a non-precision approach. In this case, the approach path can diverge up to 30 degrees from the runway heading.

A few years ago while on vectors (190*) in cloudy, very hazy conmditions, Pensacola Approach suddenly told us that we were cleared for a visual into Eglin AFB. We had made NO calls stating that any traffic or airport was in sight-this was a very illegal clearance, and a trap. All of a sudden, we saw an AFB straight ahead which did not look like Eglin,and we both knew it!-it was Hurlburt AFB!:uhoh:

[Engine overtemp]

I remember a USAF F15 (I think) doing a superb display at the Biggin Hill Airshow about 5 years ago. Problem was he did it over Kenley - a gliding site about 5 miles west - totally missing the several thousand spectators and marquees that was his intended display area.:O

[cwatters]

>I remember a USAF F15 (I think) doing a superb display at the
>Biggin Hill Airshow about 5 years ago. Problem was he did it
>over Kenley - a gliding site about 5 miles west - totally missing
>the several thousand spectators and marquees that was his
>intended display area.

I bet the glider pilots wern't too impressed either. It's a bit tricky to "go around" when you don't have an engine.

[steamchicken]

I read that the German fighter-bomber pioneer, Hauptmann Walter Rubensdörffer, was killed on the 15th August 1940 leading an attack on Kenley when he mistook either Biggin or Croydon for the target, thus also failing to spot 111 Sqn RAF who had just scrambled in response to observer reports of his gaggle of Me 110s following the railway from Brighton towards their base.

[MidnightSpecial]

A commuter I used to work for had a plane accidently land at Santa Maria instead of San Luis Opispo. They told the pax that they had landed at a runway too far away from the terminal and would take off and land again at a closer one. Well, that was kind of true. :oh:

During Continental's strike a scab plane landed at a small GA airport just north of Burbank, I think it's called Whitestone.

I have been on a flight to SWF, Newburgh, on the jumpseat and had to strongly advise the Captain that the airport he really wanted to go to was further east and that was why the LOC needles were full swing. He was, of course, trying to visit Orange County, the GA airport.

MS

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

I once booked a flight to Frankfurt and when I got off I was at a bloody great airport in the middle of nowhere, no apology or even acknowledgement of the mistake. Took me two hours in a god awful bus to get to the heart of new (old) Europe.

[M.85]

Not ONLY commercial pilots get lost...:rolleyes:
Private pilots too:=

Save Navigation to all of us

M.85

[chuks]

A couple of young, wealthy Venezuelans were passing through Miami and they needed to go to a GA strip further up the coast in their beautiful new V35 Bonanza. My boss sold me to them as the local expert who would make sure they got there with no local knowledge and no English.

I was cleared to land and all that when I noticed the Goodyear blimp moored there. I thought to myself, 'That's odd! I thought they were based at (some place about 5 miles away, can't remember the name now). Quick glance at the sectional chart (the weather was CAVOK), a quick apology to the tower for being grossly mis-positioned on long finals, a minor course correction and I'm still the hottest thing since Lindbergh. Boy, oh boy, am I ever lucky that blimp wasn't out doing something instead of being just sat there moored, though! I really, really thought I 100% knew what I was doing there, and I wasn't far wrong.

[Captain Over]

An extinct airline that sPANned the AMericas and elsewhere, who shall remain nameless...(ahem)...mistook South Caicos instead of the intended airport, Grand Turk (Capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands) on their runs from Miami a number of times. Imagine the red-faces up front on the short, but no-doubt silent, flight across the remaining 20 miles after putting the coals on once they (or Grand Turk tower) realized the boo-boo, thankfully never with any harm to anyone but lost pride.

F/O: "Landing Checks Complete"
Cap'n: "Hoss, I sure do love these little islands and these lovely VFR flights!"
F/O: "Gee the DME says 20, skip...."
F/O: "Minimums"
Cap'n: "Landing"
Twr: "HEY 'PA' PULL UP! Your're 20 miles WEST of Grand Turk!!"
"ROAAAaaaAARRR"

It happens. Has done and will do again. CHECK CHECK and RECHECK!


C.O.:O

[Nineiron]

Pilots do not get lost, they only get short of fuel.

[Cardinal Puff]

Goma and Gisenyi are two strips with similar headings about 1km apart and in different countries. Stroke the cat on that one and land at Gisenyi instead of Goma, chances are you'll have an opportunity to sample Rwandan cuisine de chooky! Problem is that the Gisenyi strip is also easier to see approaching goma from the South so mistakes easily made.... :(

[pigboat]

I always thought I was doin' ok if I didn't get lost between the FAF and the end of the runway.

[RatherBeFlying]

Caveat 20 yr. old memory -- towns may be inexact.

A scheduled Canadian Pacific 737 from Inuvik? at the top of the MacKenzie delta to Cambridge Bay? at the NW end of Hudson Bay ended up at Churchill, hundreds of miles off course.

NDB only airways, weather and proximity to the Magnetic Pole played a role.

Not the only Arctic flight that went way off course.

[100% N1]

I heard a while ago about a pilot flying something big, possibly 747 that almost landed on Essendon (small airport) rwy 26 instead of Melbourne (international) rwy 27. These airports are very close to each other, but that's hardly a good enough excuse. Lucky they realised what was going before they landed, would be fun trying to pull up a 747 on a 3 foot runway or whatever it is :{

[Bigmouth]

The only difference between the poor slobs mentioned above and the rest of us, is that the rest of us noticed our mistake before it got real embarrassing.
Go ahead, throw the first stone...

[M.85]

Your name says it all:rolleyes: :\

Lapidation is not an option in europe..just freedom of thought:oh:

M.85

[fireflybob]

When I was on the Boeing 707 (in the 1970s!) there was an item on the landing checklist which read "Airfield and Runway Identified and Cross Checked"!

I don't know which is worse - landing at the wrong airport or the wrong runway at the right one!

[Anthony Carn]

I attended an airshow at Woodford many years ago.

I eagerly awaited a promised fast and low start to a display by an F-111. It was going to be one of the better displays, I reckoned.

"He's just radioed in, ladies and gentlemen, so if you look to your left you may catch a glimpse of him coming towards you " was the jist of the commentary.

Then.........zilch ! No F-111. Commentary mysteriously ceased, too.

I made enquiries and later discovered that the pilot had mistaken Manchester International for Woodford-Ever-So-Local and had buzzed the place at just below Mach 1.

OOOOPS ! :O

[Craig Bradley]

In 1993 I worked at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport as an electical engineer completing a Cat 1 upgarde. After a short break I was arriving back in Hanoi on the local airline, Hang Kong.

Just proir to landing the Captain announced we would be landing on Hanoi's runway 26L. (Correct heading I think from memory!) Working at the airport I knew there was only one runway but didn't think anything of it.

After executing a perfect landing on the parallel taxiway the Captain announced "Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for flying Hang Kong Viet Nam....it will the last time I do....."

And that is a true story.

CB

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Heard a story of an Aussie airline pilot flying in the Uk back in the 70s. He was due to fly from Southend to Calais. He took off, flew South over the Thames Estuary, trawled up and down the North Kent coast, couldn't find Calais, and so went back to Southend.

[kala87]

I remember many years ago overhearing on the RT a BEA Trident skipper, outbound from LHR, reporting overhead BPK VOR and a slightly bemused controller questioning his request to climb direct to CLN VOR. The aforementioned skipper replied, "Oh hell, I've just remembered, we're going to Glasgow this morning, Amsterdam was yesterday, thought we were going there again today". True. He got a rapid re-routing up north.

[fireflybob]

Reminds me of a mate that was flying air taxi from EMA to EDI one day many moons ago. It was a lovely clear day as he flew up over the lake district at FL 80 on airways when a passenger tapped him on the shoulder and asked "What time will we be getting to Belfast?".

Without batting an eyelid he looked at his watch and said "about half an hour". He then spoke to ATC and said "You are not going to believe this but my passengers want to go to Belfast!". Reply from Scottish Airways "They can be awkward, cant they, but you are cleared to turn left and proceed direct to Isle of Man, etc.

To this day he wonders whether the passengers really knew what had happened!

[IMMELMAN]

There have been 'touch and go' incidents in African Game Parks and Sharjah was a popular spot for premature touch-downs instead of Dubai - too many other similar to repeat here - many were the result of early monitored approach SOPs, PNF\H and PF/H looking at two different things - one is spot on LOC/GP to correct RWY, other sees pretty lights, calls 'I have control', or similar and, without even a glance at the instruments or even sweeping his vision field up and ahead, finds he needs rather a lot of footwork to stop the thing on what was supposed to be a very long RWY - meantime, the other chap has slumped into his corner, wondering if he will ever be allowed an actual landing, so makes no calls - hasn't even noticed his nicely set-up cross-bars are off the scale. The other version is that same bloke looks up from luvvly approach, forgets instruments, 'cos he has nice warm lights ahead ( wrong ones ), no VASI, or similar, or they don't work,etc - anyway, it's another way of running out of tyres, too - and the debate still continues with even parts of same carrier adopting different SOPs on different fleets, I understand - I reckon I've read more on that debate, in the past, than on any other subject I can think of - so don't start again, chaps - it will go on for ever - and there won't be an answer that everybody agrees with, is my guess :D :D :D

[ettore]

Not surprisingly, Swiss Int'l Airline (www.swiss.com) never translated into english a Press release in German and French published on its very same website on Dec. 11th' 01.

It tells of a Saab 340 chartered flight around the Matterhorn where the pilot flew to Aosta (Italy) instead of Sion (Switzerland).
The pilot noticed his mistake only when he was low enough to see the buildings of the airport. He resumed power without having to touch down and gave some kind of funny explanation to his pax. Apparently, he had not paid much attention to ATC, nor to the charts.

That was the funny part of the story. Now, the sad one:
the incident took place on March 21st '99. Swiss (formely Crossair) opened an inquiry more than a year later, on Dec. 11th '01, only three weeks after the same pilot died alongwith his F/O and 22 pax and cabin crew on a Berlin-Zurich flight at Bassedorf, knowingly flying the approach too low (see the related "Bassedorf" thread on pprune).

[Daysleeper]

KristiansUnd and KristiansAnd in Norway always cause a giggle, old company more than once had aircraft at the wrong one looking for cargo. (often the charterers fault though)

[chiglet]

Anthony,
I was in Mach tower when that F111 did its "flyby". Two miles in front of a landind Bac111, and as hebroke hard left, he passed about a mile behind a deparing Bac111:ok: We were looking down on him as he flew inside the piers:D
watp,iktch

[uk1]

In 2000 (or it may have been 2001), the Red Arrows were booked for the Torquay Regatta. All the crowds gathered and waited. The RA's went to Brixham instead - much to the astonishment of the folks at Brixham and much to the very un-delighted throngs standing around Torquay.

[Lord Mounts]

..... And then any rotary pilot will be well aware of the hazard of landing on the wrong rig or platform, especially in those fields with loads of decks all close together. Been done so often, it hardly rates a mention.

Minor excuse over some fixed wingers is that many oil/gas fields just have one NDB to cover all installations, or several but all with the same frequency (only one should be in use at a time).

Final "seniority" check is to read the name painted on the deck, before putting your wheels on it. And to remember your coffee and food is only on the right one ....


Then there was the Big Airlines 747 who landed/went around late at Cardiff instead of the engineering base at the nearby RAF station.

Its all too easy, don't blame these guys, just congratulate yourselves when you do get to where you hoped, we do such a difficult job in the face of adversity.

[Smedley]

There, but for The Grace of God, .......