Mistaking a taxiway for a runway
Good day all, I'm an AC ramp employee and new to this board.
I've become fascinated with this incident and all the possible explanations as to why it occurred.
I've seen the pictures of what a nighttime approach into SFO looks like, and it seems to me that with the runway approach lights extending well out into the water, it should be pretty obvious to see where the runway is...but the crew lined up with the taxiway instead and the still unanswered question is why?
Here's a theory I'll throw out for consideration..
Assuming the crew had forgotten about the closure of 28L, they would be expecting to see two parallel sets of approach lights; so I wonder if the light from the nose gear of the aircraft first in line on the taxiway, pointing straight out into the bay, may have been mistaken for the approach lighting for 28R from a couple of miles out?
If this was the case, then the lights from the other aircraft on the taxiway could have been what prompted the AC crew's query to ATC about traffic on the runway.
I'd be curious to hear feedback from the professionals on this board if this is a plausible explanation. It's definitely disappointing that we will never hear what was actually said in the flight deck that night.