How do you land at the wrong airport?

[bocefus]

Perhaps one of our esteemed members might like to share a "landing at the wrong airport" story that occured not long ago involving a Diesel 8 and no less than three Captains on board.

 

[AA717driver]

I have a real problem understanding how you can do it in an airplane with a moving map display and no malfunctions. That's why every Op Spec out there requires the crew to use all available navigational aids for an approach--even if it's VFR.

I don't believe this is a "there are those who have and those who will" situation.TC

 

[Bluto]

Take a look at Biggs AAF (BIF) rwy 21 and ELP rwy 22. Two miles apart and parallel. Used to wave off somebody lined up with BIF almost every week it seemed. I dunno, may be better now ELP extended 22 and added a big cargo ramp.

This is the example I was going to use. Fortunately, the runways at ELP are a little farther if you're landing towards the south, so if you realize you're lined up at BIF, you can just cheat back over and still be ok...so I've heard.

 

[imacdog]

I believe the NW plane was doing the VOR approach into 14 at KRAP, which puts you right on the final approach course to 13 at Ellsworth if you break out early. In low visibility it could have been easy to miskate Ellsworth for Rapid, and the incident took place before the special notes about the proximity of both airports were added to the approach plates. I've flown into Rapid a number of times without any problems but under the right circumstances I can see how something like this can happen.

 

[AA717driver]

I've flown into Rapid a number of times without any problems but under the right circumstances I can see how something like this can happen.

Maybe they both had their VOR/CDI's up on the NAV display. Again, not using all the tools available. Every course I've been through with a moving map display taught us to hard tune every radio for a non-precicion approach and have the PF with the VOR/NDB/CDI up on their screen and the PNF displaying the map on their side or vice-versa.

Oh well. It happened and we all just have to keep it in the back of our minds that it can happen to us if you get sloppy.TC

 

[Godvek]

DELTA = did everyone land there again?

easy to do at night and if you don't ID the localizer and tune in the wrong freq.

 

[MFRskyknight]

I used to do it all the time on MS flightsimulator. IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU, MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No kidding. You gotta watch that tricky Slew mode -- took meself from DFW to Mexico City once, I did.

 

[Lead Sled]

Those guys are idiots.

Easy there Ace. There are three "stupid" things that better and more experienced pilots than you or me have inadvertantly done:

1. Landed gear up.
2. Landed at the wrong airport.
3. Landed on the wrong runway.

You've alway got to keep on your toes and never let your guard down, even for a moment, or it can and will happen to you. In 39 years it's never happened to me (knock on wood) but it hasn't been for my lack of trying.

'Sled

 

[chperplt]

Take a look at Biggs AAF (BIF) rwy 21 and ELP rwy 22. Two miles apart and parallel. Used to wave off somebody lined up with BIF almost every week it seemed. I dunno, may be better now ELP extended 22 and added a big cargo ramp. I knew the FO of the AA flight that landed at BIF years ago....

I flew 58s out of BIF in the early 90s.. I can't count the number of jets (usually Southwest) that broke off the approach to BIF on a 2 mile final and made the left turn to land at ELP.

It was always entertaining to listen to both BIF tower and ELP tower on different radios..

 

[sqwkvfr]

The Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) commission has recommended that Ellsworth AFB be closed.

It would seem that they feel that Minuteman missles are tools of the past and B1s would better serve the country -and save a little dough- if they were ALL based at an AFB in Texas.

Perhaps confusing the two won't be a problem much longer.

Here's a link to the RNAV approach for KRAP. I can see where someone would mistake it.

 

[FN FAL]

Read this in an article about Northwest from Answers.com

"In 2004, pilots on a Northwest Airlines flight mistakenly landed at Ellsworth AFB instead of at the Rapid City airport. Passengers aboard were asked to close their window shades by the US Air Force."

How is this possible?

The Northwest Captain saw someone at Ellsworth hot fueling and urgently needed to tell that captain about it?

 

[Metro752]

Easy there Ace. There are three "stupid" things that better and more experienced pilots than you or me have inadvertantly done:

1. Landed gear up.
2. Landed at the wrong airport.
3. Landed on the wrong runway.

You've alway got to keep on your toes and never let your guard down, even for a moment, or it can and will happen to you. In 39 years it's never happened to me (knock on wood) but it hasn't been for my lack of trying.

'Sled

Well now that you all put it into more perspective, I do see how they can easily make a mistake, and I pray I don't ever have any trouble.

I guess to make slight of this "whoopsie" we can just blame it on the Scarebus.

 

[uh60james]

Why did the AF have the passengers close their shades? I doubt theres anything really top secret they could see from an airliner, nontheless when their too busy being POed that they landed at the wrong airport.

For some reason the AF seems to think that there installations are top secret, lol. I am stationed at Ft Bragg NC and I work at Simmons AAF. Pope AFB is next door and do those guys freak when they see a camera. Nothing special at Pope either, I could take pictures of it from the air all day if I wanted.