Thomson 737 lands on taxiway at Paphos?
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Planet Earth for a short visit
Other factors to be considered before damning the crew out of hand,
3 hour delay
End of a long Summer Season
Fatigue issues, especially as Thomson have been scheduling Sharm all Summer on impossible to achieve schedule times, to reduce crew costs but causing repeated discretion usage.
There is a cost to safety that can only be borne by slighty smaller profit margins.
3 hour delay
End of a long Summer Season
Fatigue issues, especially as Thomson have been scheduling Sharm all Summer on impossible to achieve schedule times, to reduce crew costs but causing repeated discretion usage.
There is a cost to safety that can only be borne by slighty smaller profit margins.
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: In a big shed in Yorkshire
Very good res. satellite pic here if you zoom in, which shows the layout;
Paphos International airport | Marathounda Google Satellite Map
Paphos International airport | Marathounda Google Satellite Map
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,691
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From: home
Well do you know exactly visual perspective from the tower? 
It is already a fact the crew made a mistake, however sometimes someone else can stop the holes lining up. If the tower can see the runway, an aircraft lined up incorrectly will look wrong to the controller. It certainly isn't the controllers fault, and indeed many controllers have saved crews bacon in the past.
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: In a far better place
Curious to know if a contributing factor may have been the runway markings, numbers, piano keys, and centerline were washed out from the light of the sun. Was the taxiway ever used as a temorary runway where the numbers were never properly erased.
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: Earth
This is such a shame.
Technology exists that could all but eliminate these occurrences. Certification acts as a barrier, acting in the opposite sense from which it should. Airlines are unable or unwilling to pay for the equipment. Regulators stand idly by when they should be mandating said equipment.
Will we have to experience a loss on the scale of Tenerife before runway advisory systems mature and become a mandated fit? It seems it might be just "the cost of doing business" in the airline industry and that it's easier to keep on blaming crews rather then asking some hard, inconvenient or expensive questions.
Technology exists that could all but eliminate these occurrences. Certification acts as a barrier, acting in the opposite sense from which it should. Airlines are unable or unwilling to pay for the equipment. Regulators stand idly by when they should be mandating said equipment.
Will we have to experience a loss on the scale of Tenerife before runway advisory systems mature and become a mandated fit? It seems it might be just "the cost of doing business" in the airline industry and that it's easier to keep on blaming crews rather then asking some hard, inconvenient or expensive questions.
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Too far from the equator
I am not being flippant , and I feel very sorry for the crew involved , but nobody / nothing got hurt , and I doubt very much whether they would have landed on a taxiway if there had been another aircraft on it .
Its been a few years since I was operating in/out of Paphos and cannot remember where the Papis are for 27 - are they between the runway and the taxiway ? ie Left of the runway , and right of the taxiway ?
Its been a few years since I was operating in/out of Paphos and cannot remember where the Papis are for 27 - are they between the runway and the taxiway ? ie Left of the runway , and right of the taxiway ?
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Why would u care??
Thanks for the google map link Forum Old Bart.
Many known factors could have contributed to this unfortunate incident. Though I must say it's not too difficult for someone to mess this one up looking at the close up pic.
Poor lads for sure, and yet another reminder for us, to include another cross check on your own before making a full visual, usually short cut/time savings approach and landing.
Many known factors could have contributed to this unfortunate incident. Though I must say it's not too difficult for someone to mess this one up looking at the close up pic.
Poor lads for sure, and yet another reminder for us, to include another cross check on your own before making a full visual, usually short cut/time savings approach and landing.
Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion
Joined: Jan 2000
Aviation Qualifications: SLF
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From: 03 ACE
A lot of use of the word "poor" here as in "poor sods", "poor lads".
Is the term being used in the sense of sympathy or poor airmanship ?
Is the term being used in the sense of sympathy or poor airmanship ?
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: UAE
Did he land it in the touchdown zone ? Did he track the center line and land right on the white center line paint ? Did he come over the threshold and look to the right and wonder when Paphos had built that lovely Parallel runway ?
Very Poor Airmanship....no Runway numbers...no touchdown markings...no piano keys....no center line...and a new Parallel runway right out the window thats not on any charts and wasnt there last time haha 2 Pilots miss all the visual cues and land on a Taxi-way...I`d be afraid to get on-board with these 2 "Professionals"
Very Poor Airmanship....no Runway numbers...no touchdown markings...no piano keys....no center line...and a new Parallel runway right out the window thats not on any charts and wasnt there last time haha 2 Pilots miss all the visual cues and land on a Taxi-way...I`d be afraid to get on-board with these 2 "Professionals"
Joined: May 2002
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From: Middle East
Being another (ex
) frequent flyer out of PFO I can admit that when on a visual approach on 29 at late afternoon near sunset, it is easy to get confused and align on the parallel taxiway which is placed quite near the rwy. On the other hand, these are considerations which should be addressed if a proper briefing is conducted plus all the other backups like localizer indication etc.
It's not my intention to either condemn or justify. At least this unfortunate but in the end "harmless" incident should drive the Cyprus DCA to add an awareness note in the AIP info for PFO that a parallel taxiway exists and crews should be cautious. I don't remember if such a note exists on approach plates currently in force.
My two cents
) frequent flyer out of PFO I can admit that when on a visual approach on 29 at late afternoon near sunset, it is easy to get confused and align on the parallel taxiway which is placed quite near the rwy. On the other hand, these are considerations which should be addressed if a proper briefing is conducted plus all the other backups like localizer indication etc.It's not my intention to either condemn or justify. At least this unfortunate but in the end "harmless" incident should drive the Cyprus DCA to add an awareness note in the AIP info for PFO that a parallel taxiway exists and crews should be cautious. I don't remember if such a note exists on approach plates currently in force.
My two cents
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: York
What a pity I am in the garden.
If the Flight Engineer had been in the seat, [I know the 737 never carried one], the throttles would have been up to climb power, a call of 'Overshoot' would have been made, and the Pilot Flying would have been clearly informed that he made a cat's arse of the approach and must do better. We are now the size of a packet of 20 cigs, but how many accidents did we prevent when we were operational in that super middle seat.