Delta Flight lands at wrong airport on 7/7


Joined: Aug 2009
Aviation Qualifications: Military
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From: Texas
If you look at the photograph above you may note the close proximity of the airbase and the airport. Therefore, the airbase tower must be quite used to seeing inbound traffic to the civil airport. If, as in this case, an aircraft makes a sudden approach to their own runway I would imagine there's not much one can do in the very short time involved. Don't forget that the aircraft will not be on the airbase frequency. Best they MIGHT be able to do is ensure their runway is clear and then just watch the aircraft land.
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: world
They could transmit on Guard telling the aircraft approaching RWY XX to wave off/go around. The USAF is not known to be shy about transmitting on guard.
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Silicon Hills
I used to work at the airport at the bottom of the photo. You'll notice there's a nice, long, parallel runway not far away at the top of the photo:

Desert air, visual approaches from 20 or 30 miles out common, lots of smart pilots lined up on the wrong airport/runway. A few even landed on the wrong one. But we did catch most errors before they became news fodder or reportable incidents.
Thing is though, I still recall my first flight into ELP, and briefing my commercial student that there were two airports in close proximity, and we'd make darn sure we saw both, and were looking at the correct one before we did something dumb.
Desert air, visual approaches from 20 or 30 miles out common, lots of smart pilots lined up on the wrong airport/runway. A few even landed on the wrong one. But we did catch most errors before they became news fodder or reportable incidents.
Thing is though, I still recall my first flight into ELP, and briefing my commercial student that there were two airports in close proximity, and we'd make darn sure we saw both, and were looking at the correct one before we did something dumb.

Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Somewhere
Excuse my ignorance but what is the norm for arrival brief and setup in the US?
How hard is it to tune up the ILS or program a runway extension? Surely that would resolve any ambiguity that would arise. And yes I get it that there are runways everywhere in the US but in this day and age to line up on the wrong runway is almost inexcusable given what is available in RNP capability.
How hard is it to tune up the ILS or program a runway extension? Surely that would resolve any ambiguity that would arise. And yes I get it that there are runways everywhere in the US but in this day and age to line up on the wrong runway is almost inexcusable given what is available in RNP capability.

Joined: Dec 2013
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From: US
Pilots at Delta are required to back up any visual approach with all resources available. If a IFR approach is available it should be set up in the box and tuned. If not a extension should be built off the runway.
One thing to be aware of is that operations into smaller US airports is quite different then anything you might find in Europe. You are often cleared for a visual and released to the common freq or tower 30 miles out. How you get to the airport is up to you. Not that many years ago you could get a cruise clearance and it might still be in use. We would be cleared to cruise Bozeman airport from 100 miles out in a 727. Everything after that was up to the pilot.
One thing to be aware of is that operations into smaller US airports is quite different then anything you might find in Europe. You are often cleared for a visual and released to the common freq or tower 30 miles out. How you get to the airport is up to you. Not that many years ago you could get a cruise clearance and it might still be in use. We would be cleared to cruise Bozeman airport from 100 miles out in a 727. Everything after that was up to the pilot.

Joined: Apr 2007
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From: The Luberon
How can you lay that at the door of RYR when the airport describes itself as Brussels South ?
Brussels South Charleroi Airport
Brussels South Charleroi Airport
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: usa
"How long had they been flying that day (sectors) and what was their roster like for the previous month? Could fatigue have played a part here?"
Hah! This happened in the US ! The NTSB here in the states is only concerned about the previous 72 hours and nothing more!
Hah! This happened in the US ! The NTSB here in the states is only concerned about the previous 72 hours and nothing more!

Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Marlow (mostly)
Londonderry event actual report can be found at
http://picma.org.uk/sites/default/fi...ondonderry.pdf
http://picma.org.uk/sites/default/fi...ondonderry.pdf


Joined: Jan 2006
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From: In a far better place

Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Denver
captjns - it's a sarcastic joke, as in airlines mistaking Crawley (Gatwick) for "London," or Grapevine (DFW) for "Dallas," or Ontario/Burbank/Orange County for "Los Angeles."
At least here in Denver, when we built an airport 30 miles out in the suburbs, we annexed the land, so the runways really are in "Denver."
Sort of.
At least here in Denver, when we built an airport 30 miles out in the suburbs, we annexed the land, so the runways really are in "Denver."
Sort of.
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Rockytop, Tennessee, USA
At one point, Fiorello refused to get off a "Washington-New York" flight that landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey. He was finally flown to Bennett Naval Airfield in Brooklyn when he declared "I bought a ticket to a New York airport." This was a publicity gimmick that resulted in the city acquiring North Beach in which an airport was built. It was renamed in his honor as LaGuardia Airport. There is a wonderful bust of him inside the Marine Air Terminal of LaGuardia Airport.



Joined: Apr 2001
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From: surfing, watching for sharks
At least here in Denver, when we built an airport 30 miles out in the suburbs, we annexed the land, so the runways really are in "Denver." Sort of.
Or maybe they could build another E-W runway and actually use the two they have.

Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Denver
Well, Peņa has been out of the equation for over 20 years. He left 3 years before the airport opened.
But you're right, we're filling in the 1-mile-wide-by-15-miles-long "gerrymander corridor" of former wheat fields we "negotiated" away from Adams County. And other cities (Commerce City, Aurora) are also growing out to meet the airport's borders.
But you're right, we're filling in the 1-mile-wide-by-15-miles-long "gerrymander corridor" of former wheat fields we "negotiated" away from Adams County. And other cities (Commerce City, Aurora) are also growing out to meet the airport's borders.



Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Everett, WA
Have you gone down Tower road of late? The city is quickly moving to close the gap.




but that's only by 26nm. Frankfurt Hahn is 50nm from the city!