CO Express "on-time" but lands at WRONG airport

[BHopper88]

Plane lands right on schedule - at wrong airport

CARLYSS, La. (AP) - A Continental Express commuter flight from Houston to Lake Charles, La., landed at the wrong airport, touching down roughly eight miles from its destination at an airfield that usually sees only cropdusters.

The 48-passenger plane with 17 passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant aboard landed safely at Southland Field-West Calcasieu Airport in Carlyss shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday.

A spokesman for the airline and an official with the Carlyss airport both said the bright lights at the recently renovated rural airfield probably contributed to the confusion.

Continental Express spokesman Bruce Kink added that the number for the runway the pilot was bound for at Lake Charles was 33 - the same number as the runway at Carlyss. Also, he said, the destinations have similar compass headings. "I think they're different by, like, one degree,'' he said.

Kink said a thorough investigation was under way but that preliminary indications were the plane was on its final approach, descending from clouds. The runway at the airport in Carlyss is not usually lit up at night, but an electrical contractor was doing a check on the lights, so it was brightly illuminated Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the pilot of the commuter plane was in contact with the Lake Charles tower. "The tower asked them if they had visual of the running lights of the airport. They said they did,'' Kink said.

He said pilots' instruments indicate the number of the runway being approached - in this case it was 33.

Kink said the two pilots, who were not identified, were automatically "decertified'' and will not be able to fly again until after the investigation is complete. They likely will have to undergo more training and tests.

Thursday night, passengers on the plane had to wait for a bus to take them from Carlyss to Lake Charles.

"We're out in the middle of nowhere. It probably took them longer to drive ... to Lake Charles than it would have taken to fly from Houston to Lake Charles,'' said Joe Palermo, a member of the board that runs the airport at Carlyss.

 

[Nevets]

When did they stop calling it Continental Connection?

 

[CA1900]

I just want to know how Colgan stuffs 48 passengers into a Saab 340!

 

[say again]

Great situational awareness!!

 

[Flyer1015]

You get what you pay for.

 

[flyboyike]

You get what you pay for.

I knew this sounded familiar.


http://www.travelkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/air/3044/NW-Flight-1152-lands-at-wrong-airport

 

[Pattern-Master]

At this point in one's flying career he or she should not be landing at the wrong airport, GPS equipped or not. But then again, the guys up front were probably flying all day, on extended schedule, and most likely didn't have a descent meal all day either.

 

[Flyer1015]

So nine months, you were a captain?

Yeah.

That's quick.

Almost scary, isn't it? ...

This is not quite Sully [Capt. Chesley Sullenberger] -- nine months and you're a captain.

Exactly. My story wasn't unique at that time. Because of that great, rapid expansion that was going on at Colgan at that time, a lot of my classmates were upgrading. If they got hired with about the amount of time that I had -- I think I got hired at about 1,500 hours' total time -- and upgraded right around 2,000 hours. I had 500 hours in the airplane as a first officer before I upgraded to captain. And they actually wanted to upgrade me before that. I went and took ground school and did simulator training, if I remember right, then went back and flew the line as a first officer and then upgraded to captain right as I hit 500 hours, went back for training, and completed my training as captain. ...

But there were friends of mine that I was in training with in the initial class that were hired with about the same amount of time that I had, and once they got those 500 hours they were upgraded; they were upgrading. They were becoming captains, and some of them did it even faster than I did because they were based in a place that flew more, so they built up their time more quickly. They got to 500 hours in seven, eight months instead of my nine months. So that was happening pretty regularly.

So what you have in some cases was a captain and a first officer, the only difference between the two is about 500 hours.

Yeah. ... There's not a very deep well to draw from in terms of experience and knowledge. Absolutely true. One of the first officers that flew with me when I became captain was actually a guy that I was in ground school with in my initial new-hire class. So I have 500-and-some hours. He had 400 and was soon going to upgrade in that airplane. ...

A couple of relatively new guys.

Yeah, we were brand new to the airline game. Nine months in.
​

 

[Flyer1015]

-PBS. Flying Cheap.

 

[CA1900]

On Netflix Instant if anyone here missed it:

http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Frontline-Flying-Cheap/70135302

 

[Flyer1015]

There's a reason why the "Colgan" name is disappearing altogether. Lets not kid ourselves.

 

[redflyer65]

The 'On-time' part is the most important part of the story.

What happened to the moving map?

 

[zonejumper]

I'm confused. Colgan is (at least used to be) Continental Connection. The Saabs seat approx. 34. How do you guys know it's Colgan and NOT Continental Express (whoever flies for them) from IAH? Unless I missed it, the article didn't mention Colgan.

 

[Northern Lights]

I think that the original post copied an article from 1996. This has supposedly happened 3 times in the past 15 years. The news stories show a Colgan Saab parked - 352CJ.

http://www.kplctv.com/story/1541912...e-lands-in-sulphur-by-mistake?redirected=true

 

[CA1900]

I'm confused. Colgan is (at least used to be) Continental Connection. The Saabs seat approx. 34. How do you guys know it's Colgan and NOT Continental Express (whoever flies for them) from IAH? Unless I missed it, the article didn't mention Colgan.

Hmmm... good point; I see ExpressJet does one of the segments tomorrow; all the rest are Colgan. So there is a possibility.

But unless the jet flight was running way late, the "after 10pm" flight is a Colgan Saab 340.

 

[CA1900]

What happened to the moving map?

In a Colgan Saab? :laugh:

 

[Flyer1015]

What happened to the moving map?

Are you trying to imply the moving map is the key figure to avoid landing at a wrong airport? Plenty of pilots have taken off and landed at their intended destinations without the FMS, and without moving maps.

 

[Fubijaakr]

How about tuning in the ILS?

 

[redflyer65]

In a Colgan Saab? :laugh:

How is a Saab a 48 passenger plane there genius? Got some Saab 2000's on the property all of the sudden?

Fubi is right, ILS or any other nav aid works. I had some idiot try this on me one dark night...and the ILS saved my bacon...and his too. Of course he had me call approach and tell them 'we' had the wrong airport. Guy was a tool. Eventually got canned for other things, thank God.

RF

 

[redflyer65]

Are you trying to imply the moving map is the key figure to avoid landing at a wrong airport? Plenty of pilots have taken off and landed at their intended destinations without the FMS, and without moving maps.

Key feature? No, but an awfully big one! I have no idea how other pilots have landed at the wrong airport in an Airbus, etc. Nav aids, Nav map, and visual confirmation. YMMV

 

[Fubijaakr]

Right on Red.

No one should ever execute a visual approach without backing it up with the airport's navaid if there is one available.

 

[CA1900]

How is a Saab a 48 passenger plane there genius?

Don't talk to me, talk to the idiot reporter who got his facts wrong! (Wait, the press? Get an aviation story wrong? That never happens...)

 

[Nevets]

Right on Red.

No one should ever execute a visual approach without backing it up with the airport's navaid if there is one available.

Especially when it's an FAR to have the localizer tuned in if its available.

 

[BoilerUP]

How about tuning in the ILS?

+1

Sulphur (UXL) has a LOC approach to RW15; Lake Charles (LCH) has an ILS to their RW15. They are different frequencies!

Also, LCH has two runways while UXL is a single runway with vastly different approach lighting.

Having flown into both multiple times, I'm not sure its "easy" to make such a mistake...

 

[BoilerUP]

I have no idea how other pilots have landed at the wrong airport in an Airbus, etc.

Northwest did it in RAP a few years back in an Airbus.

 

[dojetdriver]

Northwest did it in RAP a few years back in an Airbus.

Yep, and a sampling from the other place many of us frequent;

Definitely not the first pilot in the world to make this mistake...........

Here are a few examples from all over the world.....

August 17 2006 - Turkish civilian airplane with 200 passengers aboard going to Poznan "Lawica"-airport has landed instead on a military airstrip in Krzesiny located some kilometers away.

March 29, 2006 - A Eirjet A320 bound for Derry, Northern Ireland mistakenly lands at Ballykelly, a military airfield.

December 16, 2005 - A Pakistan International Airlines 737 bound for Karachi, Pakistan mistakenly lands at Faisal, a military airfield.

September 5, 2005 - A Wings Air MD-80 bound for Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, Indonesia mistakenly lands at Tabing Airport, a military airfield.

January 9, 2004 - A Shuttle America Saab 340 bound for University Park Airport in State College, Pennsylvania mistakenly lands at Mid-State Regional Airport in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.

January 22, 2003 - A Chatauqua Airlines Embraer 145, chartered by the University of Notre Dame basketball team and bound for South Bend, Indiana, mistakenly lands at Elkhart Municipal Airport. See Tom Coyne, "Irish land at wrong airport because of pilot mistake," Associated Press, January 24, 2003.

July 30, 2002 - A LOT Polish Airlines aircraft, bound for Kaliningrad, Russia, mistakenly lands at Chkalovsk, an abandoned military airfield.

June 27, 2001 - A TAM Fokker 100, bound for Teresina, Brazil, mistakenly lands at Timon. See "Brazilian pilot mistakes private airstrip for urban airport," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 27, 2001.

March 14, 2001 - A TWA MD-80, bound for Yampa Valley Airport in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, mistakenly lands at Craig-Moffat Airport.

December 8, 2000 - A BAX Global DC-8, bound for Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan, mistakenly lands at Iosco County Airport in East Tawas.

June 17, 2000 - An Air Nova Dash 8, bound for Mont Joli, Quebec, mistakenly lands at Rimouski. See "Pilots land at wrong airport," The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), June 20, 2000.

June 22, 1999 - An Avensa 727, bound for Latacunga Airport in Ambato, Venezuela, mistakenly lands at Izamva Airport. (According to some reports, the pilot did not complete the landing but did make contact with the ground.) See "Pilot Attempts Wrong Airport Landing," Associated Press, June 24, 1999.

July 16, 1997 - A Continental Express Embraer 120, bound for Lake Charles, Louisiana, mistakenly lands at Southland Field in Carlyss. See T.J. Milling, "A familiar landmark? Another Continental plane sets down at same, wrong airport," Houston Chronicle, July 19, 1997.

June 2, 1997 - A Saudi Arabian Airlines 747, bound for Madras International Airport in Chennai, India, mistakenly lands at Tambaram Air Force Base.

May 11, 1997 - A Continental Airlines 737, bound for Corpus Christi, Texas, mistakenly lands at Cabaniss Field, an abandoned Navy airfield.

March 27, 1997 - A Sun Pacific International Airlines aircraft, chartered by the Arkansas Razorbacks and bound for Fayetteville, Arkansas, mistakenly lands at Springdale.

December 24, 1996 - An Atlas Air 747 bound for Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona mistakenly lands at Avra Valley Airport.

October 15, 1996 - A Nations Air 737, bound for Orlando, Florida, mistakenly lands at Sanford Airport. See "Airline's inaugural flight lands at wrong airport in Orlando," Tampa Tribune, October 16, 1996.

October 3, 1996 - A Continental Express aircraft, bound for Lake Charles, Louisiana, mistakenly lands at Southland Field in Carlyss.

October 17, 1995 - An aircraft chartered on behalf of the White House press corps, bound for Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, mistakenly lands at San Antonio International Airport. See "Press plane lands at wrong airport," United Press International, October 17, 1995.

September 5, 1995 - A Northwest Airlines DC-10, bound for Frankfurt, Germany, mistakenly landed in Brussels, Belgium, approximately 200 miles off course. (In this case, air traffic control has been blamed for providing incorrect flight plan data to the pilots.) See Don Phillips, "U.S. Jet Bound for Germany Mistakenly Lands in Belgium," Washington Post, October 1, 1995.

March 21, 1995 - A Great China Airlines Dash-8, bound for Taipei, Taiwan, mistakenly lands at Penghu Island. (In this case, the airline has been blamed for providing incorrect instructions to the pilot.) See "Misinformed Pilot Lands at Wrong Airport," Associated Press, March 22, 1995.

December 21, 1994 - A United Airlines 757, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico, mistakenly lands at Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport (a/k/a Isla Grande Airport). Link. See also "FAA Investigating Landing of United 757 at Wrong Airport," Aviation Daily, December 24, 1994.

May 5, 1993 - A Jet Airways 737, bound for Coimbatore, India, mistakenly lands at Sulur Air Force Base. Link. See also "You have arrived at err..." The Advertiser, May 6, 1993.

March 28, 1991 - An Emerald Airlines 727, bound for Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, mistakenly lands at Wausau Municipal Airport. See Robert Imrie, "Pilot, Co-Pilot of 727 That Landed at Wrong Airport Suspended," Associated Press, May 7, 1991.

November 24, 1990 - A Wings West Fairchild Metro, bound for San Luis Obispo, California, mistakenly lands at Santa Maria Airport. See David Dietz, "Bay Airliner's Landing at Wrong City Probed: Plane Missed Destination By 36 Miles," San Francisco Chronicle, November 27, 1990.

November 8, 1990 - A Continental Express ATR-42, bound for Jackson, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Hawkins Field. See "National Digest," St. Petersburg Times, November 10, 1990.

March 2, 1989 - A Dan Air BAe 748, bound for Aldergrove Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland, mistakenly lands at Langford Lodge Airport. See "Flight ends at wrong destination," Independent, March 3, 1989.

September 17, 1988 - A Canadian Airlines 737, bound for Cambridge Bay, Northwest Territories, mistakenly lands at Churchill, Manitoba. (According to some reports, the pilots mis-applied the magnetic variation factor from true north necessary for navigation in high latitudes.) See "Canadian jetliner flew 750 miles off course," Miami Herald, September 25, 1988.

January 21, 1988 - A Piedmont Airlines F-28, bound for Wilmington, North Carolina, mistakenly lands at Albert J. Ellis Airport in Jacksonville. See "Piedmont Jet Lands at Jacksonville Instead of Wilmington," Associated Press, January 23, 1988.

July 7, 1987 - A Delta Air Lines 737, bound for Lexington, Kentucky, mistakenly lands at Capital City Airport in Frankfort.

November 3, 1986 - An Air France 727, bound for Eliat, Israel, mistakenly lands at Aqaba Airport in Jordan. See "Sorry, Wrong Airport," Associated Press, November 3, 1986.

February 3, 1986 - A Piedmont Airlines 737, bound for Bush Field in Augusta, Georgia, mistakenly lands at Daniel Field. See "Piedmont Airlines Flight Lands at Wrong Airport in Augusta," Associated Press, February 4, 1986.

1982 - An Aero Airways DC-8, bound for Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York, mistakenly lands at Dutchess County Airport. See Edward Hudson, "Jets Mistake Tiny Airport for Another," New York Times, October 13, 1985. (I have not been able to determine the exact date of this incident, but the report appears to be reliable.)

October 23, 1980 - A Republic Airlines Convair 580 bound for Golden Triangle Municipal Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Columbus-Lowndes County Airport. See "FAA Investigating Errant Landing," Associated Press, November 14, 1980.

July 14, 1980 - A Delta Air Lines 727, bound for Miami, mistakenly lands at Fort Lauderdale. (In this case, air traffic control has been blamed for providing incorrect flight plan data to the pilots.) See "Controller Reprimanded in Wrong Airport Landing," Associated Press, July 25, 1980.

June 20, 1980 - A Delta Air Lines 727, bound for Tampa, Florida, mistakenly lands at MacDill Air Force Base. See Tom Zucco, "The Official Tampa Bay Map of the Weird," St. Petersburg Times, October 18, 1991.

March 1, 1980 - A Republic Airlines DC-9 bound for Golden Triangle Municipal Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Starkville Municipal Airport. See "FAA Investigating Errant Landing," Associated Press, November 14, 1980.

July 31, 1979 - A Western Airlines 737, bound for Sheridan, Wyoming, mistakenly lands at Buffalo. See David Bird and Albin Krebs, "Wyoming Town Fondly Remembers a Mistake," New York Times, July 7, 1981. (Buffalo subsequently honored the pilot with a "Lowell Ferguson Days" celebration.)

April 22, 1978 - A Maverick Air aircraft, bound for Tel Aviv, Israel mistakenly lands at Beirut, Lebanon. See "Cargo Pilot Finds Wrong Airport," Washington Post, April 24, 1978.

March 24, 1977 - A Pan Am 707, bound for Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mistakenly lands at San Isidro Air Force Base. See "Wrong Airport," Aviation Week and Space Technology, April 4, 1977.

August 11, 1976 - An Iraqi Airways 747, bound for Orly Airport in Paris, France, mistakenly lands at Le Bourget Airport. See "Right City, Wrong Airport," New York Times, August 12, 1976.

December 4, 1974 - A Frontier Airlines 737, bound for Salt Lake International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah, mistakenly lands at Salt Lake Airport No. 2. See "Jet Lands at Wrong Field," New York Times, December 4, 1974.

June 10, 1973 - A United Airlines 727, bound for Miami, mistakenly lands at Opa Locka.

September 24, 1972 - A Japan Airlines DC-8, bound for Bombay, India mistakenly lands at Juhu.

 

[drinksonme]

Notice two of the above were Continental Express flight, in the 90's, landing at exactly the same wrong airport, Carlyss, while bound for LCH. CAL's new once or twice a decade service to Carlyss to be announced in the morning plus more flying to Colgan operated flights

 

[Poahi]

IIRC, the Steamboat bound MD80 in 2001 realized it was at the wrong airport when they got stuck in the mud trying to make a taxiway.

 

[rjacobs]

November 8, 1990 - A Continental Express ATR-42, bound for Jackson, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Hawkins Field. See "National Digest," St. Petersburg Times, November 10, 1990.

While we didnt get close to landing there I definitely blasted past JAN late one night coming down from EWR and that was the airport I saw. Its on the wrong side of the highway though. It was a good thing my CA was looking at the correct airport and went "WTF are you doing, you just went through the LOC." I think I would have realized something was wrong WAY before actually shooting an approach and landing there though(at least I think I would have).

 

[flyboyike]

Especially when it's an FAR to have the localizer tuned in if its available.

It's not an FAR, but usually a company policy.