Originally Posted by
Intrance
I have yet to see any approach lighting system that becomes unrecognizable as such outside a ~5 degree or so slice from the threshold. Most unidirectional lights would be very much still visible when lined up on the taxi way at 4nm or 10nm or probably even further out. They'd only be hard to see from very close in or at significantly wider angles, think 45 degrees of centerline. My homebase has some of the hardest to see unidirectional ALS I have encountered, and even that becomes very recognizable once you are within those 45 degrees.
I am not saying no one can make a mistake, or discounting human factors and fatigue, I mean I've made my fair share of ****-ups. But I do think that it requires a significant amount of fatigue or disconnect from situational awareness to miss those approach lights, even being lined up on the taxiway, so slightly to the right. Just discounting the image as "well this isn't exactly what they saw" is a bit silly. If you've been flying into larger airports for a while you should have no problem pulling up a mental image of what it would look like if you transposed yourself a bit to the right.
The crew did not 'miss those approach lights' - they assumed that they were the approach lights to 26L and that the taxiway to its right was the runway. This may have been assisted by the taxiway not being empty but having a line of widebodies with their lights on (also not shown in the much overused picture of what the crew
did not see). Like all visual illusions once your brain has seen the illusion it is difficult to 'unsee' it. Similarly, as I said a lot earlier in the thread your brain will
not see things it does not expect to see. (See
the gorrilla illusion ) However, once it has been pointed out it is obvious, and like all of the commenters here, the 'illusion' has already been pointed out so commenters like you cannot see the illusion and cannot see how anyone can.
I have had multiple experiences as tower controller when aircraft have made approaches to the wrong runway - it is common as is landing on parallel taxiways. There is one way to guarantee it does
not happen again and that is to automate all landings. This is completely feasible but it will mean that pilots lose another skill set.