we have a lot of pilots on this site that have been following the story
so what do you think about his excuse?
Wake turbulence is a hazard, especially for small aircraft like his. It sounds like he zoned in on that and landed on taxiway Charlie. He was following an Airbus that he had in sight.
I had military pilots in my squadron who visually lined up at the wrong airfield (Lakenheath instead of Mildenhall, they are very close to one another).
I have seen guys almost land gear up, guys who forgot the flaps, guys who landed at approach minimums and then were so tense they almost forgot to apply the brakes and came close to going off the end of the runway.
Aviation is serious business. You are thinking and acting in 3 dimensions, handling weather, and a bunch of other factors.
Ford is by all accounts a very conscientious pilot. He takes is very seriously.
He made a mistake. Should he lose his license for it? I don't think so. I think the FAA should recommend retraining and that should close it.
To err is human. I could cite a dozen examples of professionals landing at the wrong airport, wrong runway.
Back in the ‘70s, and airline captain landed his personal airplane on a taxiway at TPA, and collided with an airliner. He died.
Distracted by a plane on the runway? What did he expect?
My husband and I owned a flight operation at JWA for 25 years and this is just plain stupid. The guy is a doofus. He could just as easily have plowed into the hangar rows which are adjacent to the taxiway - one of which is where we had our flight operation.
Why would he have a Temporary Airman Certificate? That’s what the FAA issues when a person takes a check ride/passes it and before their permanent certificate is issued. Did he say he lost his pilot certificate? I can’t believe he’d gone for another rating that would have resulted in a Temporary Certificate.
I don’t understand such mistakes. Like the C-17 pilot that landed at Knight Airport in Tampa, FL instead of MacDill AFB. Shreveport Regional, and Shreveport Downtown are very similar, and have a runway lined up much like the strips in Tampa. I can take off from DTN, turn 1 degree left, and be on final approach for SHV...but I have never mistaken one for the other, let alone landing on a taxiway.
He needs a flight review.
I don’t understand such mistakes. Like the C-17 pilot that landed at Knight Airport in Tampa, FL instead of MacDill AFB. Shreveport Regional, and Shreveport Downtown are very similar, and have a runway lined up much like the strips in Tampa. I can take off from DTN, turn 1 degree left, and be on final approach for SHV...but I have never mistaken one for the other, let alone landing on a taxiway.
He needs a flight review.
There have been some geezer accusations based upon him identifying Runway 1 on the radio, but that runway used to be runway 1 and changed recently due to change in magnetic variation.
Still a major mistake. I wouldn't get too upset if the FAA demanded a medical evaluation or pulled his ticket. He could have easily hit a taxiing aircraft on that parallel.
Airplanes use airports. If you get distracted by airplanes at airports then don’t fly. Same with wake turbulence. If there are larger aircraft at the airport you’ll eventually experience wake turbulence. It’s like traffic on a highway, just a part of flying. Just like driving there will come a time when each individual can no longer handle the responsibility safely. Time to hang it up. (Retired USAF Air Traffic Controller)