TWA Pilots to be charged for "wrong" airport visit
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TWA Pilots to be charged for "wrong" airport visit
From Denver Rocky Mountain News:
"The pilots of a TWA airliner that landed at the wrong airport in northwestern Colorado last March are facing punishment, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.
The pilots, whose names were withheld by both the FAA and TWA, could face suspensions of their pilot's licenses for up to nine months, FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said Tuesday.
Investigators recommended the punitive action after the TWA jet, with 116 passengers and six crew members aboard, landed at the small Craig Municipal Airport instead of the Yampa Regional Airport 13 miles away.
No one was hurt but the plane became stuck in the mud while trying to turn around to take off again. Passengers were bused to their destinations in Steamboat Springs, and the plane took off without incident the following day.
The TWA DC9-82 was flying from St. Louis to the Yampa airport near Hayden when instead of landing at Hayden, which has a 10,000-foot runway and is designed to handle large jets, pilots put the plane down on a 5,600-foot crop-dusting runway in Craig.
"No weather was involved, with good visibility," Fergus said. "The runway was dry."
Fergus said lawyers with the FAA's legal office are processing the violations complaint and will issue a finding within 90 days.
"The pilots of a TWA airliner that landed at the wrong airport in northwestern Colorado last March are facing punishment, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday.
The pilots, whose names were withheld by both the FAA and TWA, could face suspensions of their pilot's licenses for up to nine months, FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said Tuesday.
Investigators recommended the punitive action after the TWA jet, with 116 passengers and six crew members aboard, landed at the small Craig Municipal Airport instead of the Yampa Regional Airport 13 miles away.
No one was hurt but the plane became stuck in the mud while trying to turn around to take off again. Passengers were bused to their destinations in Steamboat Springs, and the plane took off without incident the following day.
The TWA DC9-82 was flying from St. Louis to the Yampa airport near Hayden when instead of landing at Hayden, which has a 10,000-foot runway and is designed to handle large jets, pilots put the plane down on a 5,600-foot crop-dusting runway in Craig.
"No weather was involved, with good visibility," Fergus said. "The runway was dry."
Fergus said lawyers with the FAA's legal office are processing the violations complaint and will issue a finding within 90 days.
