SWA lands at wrong Branson Airport

[HAZ-MAT]

Co-pilot leans over and whispers... "wanna get away?"

 

[Mikes Apartment]

Carpe Vacay?

 

[Capn Butthead]

I think all of us Corn Dogs all know it was a huge screw up and unacceptable....as every other pilot from every other airline will say. Especially in a NG. I feel bad for the guys but they f$&ked up...hate to say it but they'll most likely be fired and SWAPA can't do much. I'm not one of these my airline is better than yours schmuck so I won't even go there. After all the management screw ups with massive reroutes and long days I'm surprised we didn't have more screw ups in the past few weeks. Good luck to these guys...they'll need it.

 

[waveflyer]

this can and continues to almost happen to quite a few crews across the entire database of participants. Always set the approach or visual for the runway and verify the magenta line takes you to the same place as you see in the window.

Karma police living up to his name. Well said man

I guess I'm considered a usual SWA suspect- but you want me to defend them? Throw them under the bus and Monday morning qtrback it w/ almost no info?

C'mon

At this point the only productive conversation I can see having is how many capts have had me not quickly reprogram the fms if we get a change so we aren't distracted close to the airport. (Isn't that a big point from "children of the magenta"?) As much as I believe in keeping simple things simple- ie: take the jet, land there- To me it's more distracting for my OCD to not program it in-

No idea what happened, but maybe these pilots were convinced they saw the airport and got a runway assignment different than they briefed- if so- this is what happens without that habit- but even check airman have chimed in to not be heads down typing in certain scenarios- now let's say an ils isn't available and what do you have backing yourself up?

I'm positive there are always multiple factors that lead to this-

Ditto, on the glass house. What an embarrassing nightmare and I hope I learn from them as well

 

[waveflyer]

I have been asked if these guys will get fired.

Unless there's more to the story, I hope not. For the reason above about fms programming culture. This is embarrassing, but it's not landing on the nose wheel

 

[Scoot 11]

Ditto, on the glass house. What an embarrassing nightmare and I hope I learn from them as well

Well said Wave. This could be anyone at any airline!:beer: Glass houses!

 

[Ty Webb]

I, too, do not understand how this happens with everything we have available to us.

A "visual" approach is just an IAP with a prettier view. Unless you're going into LBB.

I do congratulate them for not allowing that plane to go over the dropoff . . . the outcome would have been much, much different.

As for flying it out of there . . . . hell yeah, it will do that! Change the tires and brakes, and I'll volunteer to do it, just for sh!ts and g!ggles.

 

[Golden Falcon]

fms programming stuff aside...doesnt anybody tune and identify and at least crosscheck navaid/ils indications against magenta line on an ND (green if you're a bus person)??

 

[Muppets]

fms programming stuff aside...doesnt anybody tune and identify and at least crosscheck navaid/ils indications against magenta line on an ND (green if you're a bus person)??

Agreed. Another useful tool would be 1 of the 10 DME indications on the -700. These clowns give all of us a bad name. All over the news....neighbor already asked me about it. Jesus

 

[Little G-Force]

I was thinking the same thing. That being said, I agree that it can happen to anyone. After the 5th day of 4 legs a night flying night freight I set up to land at AAf Biggs instead of El Paso. Granted, they are closer to each other with the exact same runway layout, it's still no excuse. If you always set up for an instrument approach, you always land on the right runway. It's what saved me that morning.

That said it cannot happen to anyone. Because there are tens of thousands who have more cockpit discipline

 

[PCL_128]

I won't criticize the crew for the same reason wave mentioned: the training departments industry-wide have been telling people for years to "fly the airplane" and not be heads down.

So, instead of criticizing the crew, I'll criticize the training departments. It's time to stop the macho bull$hit and admit that automation and technology is what has been driving down accident and incident statistics for the past few decades. Instead of telling pilots not to be heads down, instead tell them to extend the downwind and program the box the right way instead of being in a hurry to just do the approach. There is zero reason to not insist on having every approach in the box on today's aircraft. This incident easily could have resulted in the deaths of everyone on board if the crew wasn't smart enough to slam on their breaks really fast and really hard. That drop at the end of that runway would have been deadly, and it looks like it was only a couple hundred feet away. The crew deserves credit for saving everyone's ass. The philosophy of not always programming the box is what deserves blame.

 

[Ty Webb]

There is zero reason to not insist on having every approach in the box on today's aircraft.

Absolutely true. If you don't have time to load it and brief it, you are likely too rushed to be making the approach anyway.

 

[LandGreen]

My takeaway: many nights to dark and desolate airports...controllers want to pimp u to take a visual, or...they vector u close in base 1500' inside FAF. No more...on initial contact, ATC will get the ATIS code and request vectors OUTSIDE FAF for the visual (if no FAF; 7 mi final off extended runway). ATC coffee break will have to wait another two min.

Sorry for the crew and keeping my fingers crossed that they keep their jobs

 

[Little G-Force]

I think all of us Corn Dogs all know it was a huge screw up and unacceptable....as every other pilot from every other airline will say. Especially in a NG. I feel bad for the guys but they f$&ked up...hate to say it but they'll most likely be fired and SWAPA can't do much. I'm not one of these my airline is better than yours schmuck so I won't even go there. After all the management screw ups with massive reroutes and long days I'm surprised we didn't have more screw ups in the past few weeks. Good luck to these guys...they'll need it.

Applause applause you nailed it and this
If I was joe passenger and my wife and newborn were on board I would have punched the captain not thanked him for almost killing me

 

[RLAblows]

"Don't worry folks I was an F-16 pilot in the Air Force, your in good hands!

"gutsiest move I ever saw man."