By ANDY PASZTOR
Two Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots who mistakenly landed a jetliner filled with 182 passengers on a taxiway at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport last month are expected to avoid punishment, according to people familiar with the matter.
The weather and visibility were both good on Oct. 19, when the Delta pilots mistakenly landed their widebody Boeing 767 jet on a taxiway instead of a parallel runway. Despite the error, both pilots are expected to keep their licenses and their jobs, these people said. The pilots are currently suspended, but Delta intends to retrain them and return them to flight status.
The taxiway incident happened just several days before a pair of pilots flying for Delta's Northwest Airlines unit lost radio contact with air-traffic controllers for more than an hour and cruised past their airport destination. The Northwest pilots – whose flight sparked a broader debate about cockpit distractions -- had their licenses revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration. They are appealing that decision. Delta doesn't intend to reinstate the Northwest pilots under any circumstances, according to industry officials. Delta press officials have declined to comment.
The stark contrast in the treatment of the two cockpit crews has angered pilot union leaders and illustrates different FAA enforcement standards. Nobody was hurt in either incident, and neither plane was damaged. Both crews quickly filed voluntary reports alerting airline officials and regulators about their safety lapses, and were suspended from flying duties.
But the similarities end there. Union leaders argue the FAA punished the Northwest pilots prematurely by revoking their licenses before all the facts had been gathered, and without regard to established procedures to investigate safety incidents. The FAA, on the other hand, contends the Northwest pilots acted recklessly, in clear violation of federal safety rules and standards.
By contrast, the FAA has concluded the Delta pilots involved in the Atlanta incident made an inadvertent mistake. At this point, the agency is focused on understanding the sequence of events and figuring out how to prevent them in the future.
According to investigators and others familiar with the taxiway landing, the Boeing 767 was approaching Atlanta before dawn, after a 10-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro in calm winds and 10-mile visibility. A senior pilot became ill during an earlier part of the trip was moved to the cabin and the crew declared a medical emergency. On approach, controllers gave the pilots several different landing instructions, according to people familiar with the details. As the plane continued to descend toward the airport, the pilots requested a runway change so they would be able to taxi as quickly as possible to the terminal.
Delta Flight 60 was cleared to land on a runway typically used for takeoffs, and a navigation aid wasn't operating. The approach lights intended to help pilots identify and line up with the strip weren't turned on.
The jet landed on a 75-foot wide taxiway, located about 400 feet north of the intended runway. The runway is 150 feet wide and has different colored lights than the taxiway.
Write to Andy Pasztor at [email protected]
Two Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots who mistakenly landed a jetliner filled with 182 passengers on a taxiway at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport last month are expected to avoid punishment, according to people familiar with the matter.
The weather and visibility were both good on Oct. 19, when the Delta pilots mistakenly landed their widebody Boeing 767 jet on a taxiway instead of a parallel runway. Despite the error, both pilots are expected to keep their licenses and their jobs, these people said. The pilots are currently suspended, but Delta intends to retrain them and return them to flight status.
The taxiway incident happened just several days before a pair of pilots flying for Delta's Northwest Airlines unit lost radio contact with air-traffic controllers for more than an hour and cruised past their airport destination. The Northwest pilots – whose flight sparked a broader debate about cockpit distractions -- had their licenses revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration. They are appealing that decision. Delta doesn't intend to reinstate the Northwest pilots under any circumstances, according to industry officials. Delta press officials have declined to comment.
The stark contrast in the treatment of the two cockpit crews has angered pilot union leaders and illustrates different FAA enforcement standards. Nobody was hurt in either incident, and neither plane was damaged. Both crews quickly filed voluntary reports alerting airline officials and regulators about their safety lapses, and were suspended from flying duties.
But the similarities end there. Union leaders argue the FAA punished the Northwest pilots prematurely by revoking their licenses before all the facts had been gathered, and without regard to established procedures to investigate safety incidents. The FAA, on the other hand, contends the Northwest pilots acted recklessly, in clear violation of federal safety rules and standards.
By contrast, the FAA has concluded the Delta pilots involved in the Atlanta incident made an inadvertent mistake. At this point, the agency is focused on understanding the sequence of events and figuring out how to prevent them in the future.
According to investigators and others familiar with the taxiway landing, the Boeing 767 was approaching Atlanta before dawn, after a 10-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro in calm winds and 10-mile visibility. A senior pilot became ill during an earlier part of the trip was moved to the cabin and the crew declared a medical emergency. On approach, controllers gave the pilots several different landing instructions, according to people familiar with the details. As the plane continued to descend toward the airport, the pilots requested a runway change so they would be able to taxi as quickly as possible to the terminal.
Delta Flight 60 was cleared to land on a runway typically used for takeoffs, and a navigation aid wasn't operating. The approach lights intended to help pilots identify and line up with the strip weren't turned on.
The jet landed on a 75-foot wide taxiway, located about 400 feet north of the intended runway. The runway is 150 feet wide and has different colored lights than the taxiway.
Write to Andy Pasztor at [email protected]
