Delta Flight lands at wrong airport on 7/7
Well Delta's anchestor (NW) mixed up BRU and FRA. Similar runway bearings (13/31 vs 14/32) however terminals/hangars on opposite side and a significant difference in runway length. Some explaining to do, but hey the did it on the Dreamlifter.
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Déjà vu all over again. 
Surely it wasn't a Delta MSP crew this time...
Some discussion (the 2004 pilots later got fired by NWA 
) from the old PPRUNE 'pro pilot's forum' days:
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/1...e-mistake.html
Surely it wasn't a Delta MSP crew this time...
June 20, 2004 | ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A Northwest Airlines flight that was headed to Rapid City, S.D., landed a few miles off course at Ellsworth Air Force Base, and passengers had to wait in the plane for more than three hours while their crew was interrogated.
Passengers on Northwest Flight 1152, an Airbus A-319 from St. Paul, expected to be welcomed to Rapid City Regional Airport on Saturday, but after about five minutes they were told to close their window shades and not look out, said passenger Robert Morrell.
"He (the pilot) hemmed and he hawed and he said 'We have landed at an Air Force base a few miles from the Rapid City airport and now we are going to figure out how we're going to get from here to there,"' Morrell told the St. Paul Pioneer Press by cell phone during the delay Saturday.
Eventually, the captain and first officer were replaced by a different Northwest crew for the short hop to the right airport.
Northwest confirmed that the crew made an "unscheduled landing."
"The situation is under review and we have nothing further to add," said Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch. He would not identify the cockpit crew, or say if the pilot made an error.
Ellsworth controls all air space 40 miles around the base and clears landings at both the civilian airport and the base.
The city's airport runway is "just over the hill" from Ellsworth, and the Northwest crew had to descend through a layer of clouds, said a base spokeswoman, Lt. Christine Millette.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
Passengers on Northwest Flight 1152, an Airbus A-319 from St. Paul, expected to be welcomed to Rapid City Regional Airport on Saturday, but after about five minutes they were told to close their window shades and not look out, said passenger Robert Morrell.
"He (the pilot) hemmed and he hawed and he said 'We have landed at an Air Force base a few miles from the Rapid City airport and now we are going to figure out how we're going to get from here to there,"' Morrell told the St. Paul Pioneer Press by cell phone during the delay Saturday.
Eventually, the captain and first officer were replaced by a different Northwest crew for the short hop to the right airport.
Northwest confirmed that the crew made an "unscheduled landing."
"The situation is under review and we have nothing further to add," said Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch. He would not identify the cockpit crew, or say if the pilot made an error.
Ellsworth controls all air space 40 miles around the base and clears landings at both the civilian airport and the base.
The city's airport runway is "just over the hill" from Ellsworth, and the Northwest crew had to descend through a layer of clouds, said a base spokeswoman, Lt. Christine Millette.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
) from the old PPRUNE 'pro pilot's forum' days:http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/1...e-mistake.html
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This has happened at Ellsworth in the past...many times as a matter of fact going back to the days of Frontier, NWA and maybe WAL. The airlines have used Ellsworth as an alternate in the past and even operated out of Ellsworth while the runways were under construction at RAP. Assuming the tower was in operation at this hour, once has to wonder why the controller did not call out this impending error to the crew. Anyone who has worked this ATC at RAP is keenly aware of the impending situations that occur at RAP?
Nothing to see here other that perhaps some time off for the crew.
Nothing to see here other that perhaps some time off for the crew.
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Hotel Tango since you appear to know so much about these two airports what don't you share your knowledge?
I do wonder what/why someone did not say this doesn't look right when the runway was 200 feet wide?
I do wonder what/why someone did not say this doesn't look right when the runway was 200 feet wide?
I do wonder what/why someone did not say this doesn't look right when the runway was 200 feet wide?
No ILS for KRAP 14, so the approach was RNAV, VOR or visual. Approaches to KRAP 14 will place one on a short final to KRCA 13 as one flies past. One will see Ellsworth first, almost directly on the nose, nicely aligned, once on the approach.
Landing time was 20:42 local (MDT), or five minutes after start of civil twilight.
Interestingly, the plates for KRAP 14 are not placarded with a warning as to airport confusion (as are some in similar settings).
KRCA tower will definitely notice you are landing on their runway - but you are not on their frequency. How does that help?
KRAP tower probably doesn't start a stopwatch the moment you get landing clearance - but even if they did, by the time they noticed you were overdue or not in sight - you'd already be on the ground at KRCA.
Remember KRAP is a small, not terribly busy airport in the US - odds are probably good the crew was "cleared to land" almost as soon as they first contacted the tower. Not on 1-mile final.
Of course it is a screwup - but what steps would anyone here take to avoid it?
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I do wonder what/why someone did not say this doesn't look right when the runway was 200 feet wide?
They were on the ground about two and a half hours and then flew a short flight over to the right airport:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...410Z/KRCA/KRAP
Nothing to see here other that perhaps some time off for the crew.
Could be quite an extended vacation!
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An excellent site titled "The Legacy of Douglas Corrigan: "Wrong Way" Landings by Commercial Airliners Jol A. Silversmith"
http://www.thirdamendment.com/WrongWay.pdf
http://www.thirdamendment.com/WrongWay.pdf
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http://www.thirdamendment.com/WrongWay.pdf
Nice link but obviously incomplete.
I see no mention of United landing in Counsel Bluffs vs Omaha or Trans States in Springdale vs Fayetteville AR (Drake).
But the Trans State incident illustrates the rub.
If you F up, stop and fess up. If you land successfully at the wrong airport the FAA really can't take any action.
The Trans States crew taxied back and repositioned the flight to the correct airport.....with no release, W/B , performance, etc.
Nailed!
In 20,000 hours I have nearly fell for the wrong airport more than once. And if you think you are immune, you're next to do it.
Nice link but obviously incomplete.
I see no mention of United landing in Counsel Bluffs vs Omaha or Trans States in Springdale vs Fayetteville AR (Drake).
But the Trans State incident illustrates the rub.
If you F up, stop and fess up. If you land successfully at the wrong airport the FAA really can't take any action.
The Trans States crew taxied back and repositioned the flight to the correct airport.....with no release, W/B , performance, etc.
Nailed!
In 20,000 hours I have nearly fell for the wrong airport more than once. And if you think you are immune, you're next to do it.
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Nobody died, nobody hurt, the man who never made a mistake never made anything.
Wherever there is a trap waiting for the unwary somone will eventually fall for it.
Nothing to see here, move along please.
Wherever there is a trap waiting for the unwary somone will eventually fall for it.
Nothing to see here, move along please.
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Nothing to see here, move along please.
Just a joke to help the process. On this side of the world some folks think this is a regular event. Certain airlines land at one minor airport, but kid the passengers they are going to the major city airport. Happens every day, but we get over it.
Just a joke to help the process. On this side of the world some folks think this is a regular event. Certain airlines land at one minor airport, but kid the passengers they are going to the major city airport. Happens every day, but we get over it.
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It was an ATC mix-up that the crew did not detect. They were actually vectored into BRU by ATC who were all convinced for some reason that was the aircraft destination. The story is here Northwest 52 Brussels Incident - Airliners.net
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Hotel Tango since you appear to know so much about these two airports what don't you share your knowledge?
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I see no mention of United landing in Counsel Bluffs vs Omaha...
January 3, 1969 - A United Airlines 727, bound for Omaha, Nebraska (OMA), mistakenly lands a
Council Bluffs (CBF)
Pay attention at the back!
