How do you land at the wrong airport?

[PhatAJ2008]

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?

 

[TrafficInSight]

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?

Summon that 50 hours of experience and answer this for yourself

 

[CitationXDriver]

Not only land at the wrong airport, but an active Air Force Base of all places!!

 

[USMCmech]

It's easier than you would think.


Most airports in the same area are laid out with similiar runway patterns due to the prevailing winds being the same. If you get a few miles off course, and are lined up with a east/west runway surrounded by a city, it's not hard to mistake it for the airport you were suposed to land at.


FL is terrible because of this. About every 20 miles up the atlantic coast there is an old WW2 airport. They all have the same triangle shaped runway layout, or the same parallel runways with a single corssing runway.
I have lined up on the wrong airport several times before I realized that I was looking at the wrong place. Never touched down though (knock on wood).

 

[PhatAJ2008]

Nevermind, so they weren't actually cleared to land there I see..

 

[Metro752]

THOSE AIRPORTS LOOK QUITE DIFFERENT.

Those guys are idiots.

Remember all the fancy smancy toys they have up front.

 

[dhc8fo]

Don't know the circumstances of this incident, but although our planes have RNAV and/or FMS (depending on which type we are flying that leg), only airports that meet our landing criteria are in the database. If we were to divert for any weird reason (such as unexpected 9/11 where we had to land at an airport that we don't even service), we would be doing it the old fashioned way.

On some approach plates, you will see notes that say be careful not to mistake blah blah airport for such-and-such airport (of course, not in those words).

I don't see myself making that mistake, but it isn't that hard to do, especially at night.

Also, like I said, I don't have all of the details on this particular incident, but some airline aircraft aren't all that "fancy smancy" up front. My cherokee is better equipped than some airliners.

 

[semperfido]

THOSE AIRPORTS LOOK QUITE DIFFERENT.

Those guys are idiots.

Remember all the fancy smancy toys they have up front.

it happens more than you think. be careful -- that idiot could be you someday

 

[mynameisjim]

I've done it.

 

[JohnE]

I flew thru Omaha, look at KOMA (main airport). There is an airforce base 10 mi south KOFF. Would be easy to mistake the two if you broke out of the clouds south of KOMA.

 

[mayday1]

Also, like I said, I don't have all of the details on this particular incident, but some airline aircraft aren't all that "fancy smancy" up front. My cherokee is better equipped than some airliners.

if memory serves me right, this was an A320 or 319.. one with all the fancy smancy stuff : )

 

[traffic pilot]

Lined up on rwy 7 at GEG in a Navajo Tower said we don't have you in sight yet but your're cleared to land. Descending through about 5 hun started noticing that there was a huge B 52 convention in town. oops Fairchild AFB.

 

[cforst513]

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

 

[DirtyBeech]

it's easy to do it in lake charles. they've got two airports (chenault and lack charles) that look identical and are very close together. a little haze in the atmosphere or in your head could make it quite easy. never say it couldn't happen to you. i imagine there are quite a few guys who never thought they'd belly land a perfectly good airplane either.

 

[Pugh]

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.