PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - BA plane lands at Accra with runway blocked?
Old 30th Jan 2012, 07:14
  #34 (permalink)  
ExSp33db1rd
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The Smaller Antipode
Age: 89
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Sometimes an early decision to divert is a cop out.
A colleague approached New York and was given a 45 min. landing delay due traffic. Had he remained he would have landed with less fuel than the minimum req'd to make an approach with reserves.

He smartly diverted to Boston, which he had overflown on his way to New York. The same 45 minutes later he was approaching Boston, where the weather had seriously deteriorated and was now below limits. Had he remained over New York he would now have been landing in good weather, no problem, but now he had used his reserve fuel and had nowhere to go. ATC got him down on a Military Base.

Don't nit pick, all a long time ago and I can't remember all the numbers or the detail, just agreeing with the above quote.

He'd done everything right, but had he stayed at New York he would have landed safely at his destination - but illegally and they would have had him.

He almost died - but legally.
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