Aircraft 40 nautical miles away, at 30,000 ft descending at 3000ft per minute and travelling at 240 knots.. can it make it?
240 knots = 4 miles per minute, which means 10 minutes to get the 40 miles to the airport.
3000 feet per minute for 10 minutes means a descent of 30,000 feet.
So in this scenario - depending on the wind, the phase of the moon, etcetc and how much luck the pilot had, and if his callsign was BAW038 or not.. he might just make the runway. Just.
For example :P