A Delta pilot describes the approach to Tokyo during earthquake

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[FReepaholic]

Fascinating. Like I said, I have no idea if this is true.

[cripplecreek]

I hadn’t really thought about the problems that could arise for planes in this situation.

[Yet_Again]

Only a Delta pilot would think to quote “Top Gun” to summarize a real ATC conversation (shaking head)....

[wizkid]

I bet it is true. My friend was flying to Tokyo on the day of the quake and got diverted to Sapporo.

[WesternPacific]

I believe this is probably a pretty accurate account of the chaos which took place that day and night. We had 11 commercial airliners land at Yokota US AF base. 2 stayed overnight with passengers being bused to temporary lodging, the other 9 refueled and left that night. The US Air force had several large tour buses lined up to disembark the passengers and take them to their temp lodging. The US Air Force response and the overwhelming volunteer support was amazing to see and be a part of.

[BobL]

Geeze - what a mess up there.

Why didn’t they just use an app?

[BuckeyeTexan]

Thank you, USAF!

[paddles]

If it were me I woulda gone straight to MCAS Iwakuni. The crematorium off base doesn’t smell so bad this time of year and the O’Club needs the business. The pax can take in a Hiroshima Carps game waiting for a flight out. What’s not to like?

[JRandomFreeper]

I listen to the local tower frequency, so I know who is flying overhead doing the dreaded 7 or 3 engine landing. Sometimes the conversations are very entertaining. "Negative, XXX, we can't authorize a landing, we've got guys checking the runway for FOD".

"Gotta land. Now would be good."

"Negative, XXX, we can't clear a landing. Give us 30 minutes."

30 minutes pass with a fighter jock burning holes in the sky in a right hand pattern.

"Tower, I need clearance to land."

Negative XXX, we cannot clear you to land. If you choose to land it is 'own risk'.

"I'll take that risk".

I did stay near an outside door during most of that conversation. I have no idea what was going on, but a lonely jet circling overhead was disconcerting.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

Was the Services Squadron out front on that? I'd really like to know. That's their cup of tea, so to speak. Hope so.

/johnny

[=8 mrrabbit 8=]

Here > FlyerTalk > Reddit > Anecdotal > (unsourced)

Until we have the flight number, names, and the original author if not the pilot, then it is fiction.

=8-)

[JRandomFreeper]

Until we have the flight number, names, and the original author if not the pilot, then it is fiction.

Perhaps, but that doen't take away from the story. Like all sea stories, it should start with; 'Listen to this, I was there, no $h!t..."

Aviation stories are like that. So are sea stories. Naval Aviators take it to a new level.

I have boots for those stories. And hip-waders.

/johnny

[Fiddlstix]

Bump
To read later

[=8 mrrabbit 8=]

Also appears that someone at FlyerTalk copied the story from without proper attribution as noted by a FlyerTalk member:

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/57933-dal-pirep-japan.html

...however that source’s link no longer appears to be present.

More and more looking like another “authoritative” “fiction” live other posted here.

=8-)

[WesternPacific]

Was the Services Squadron out front on that? I'd really like to know. That's their cup of tea, so to speak. Hope so.

The 374th Support Squadron, I'm sure, was instrumental in the effort. The Base was just coming off a week long Exercise that day so the whole base had everything in place to accommodate this real emergency exercise.

I am, personally, amazed at the way this base's Commander, Col. Paul "Otto" Feather, and his team managed this historic emergency event and made it look almost routine. The Base Commander, when interviewed, just said, "This is what we do".

[vetvetdoug]

I have a close friend that was scheduled to fly to Tokyo and told me he would have arrived there about thirty minutes after the tsunami and quake. He called in and took off a week for sinus infection and missed all of the fun. He and I were having a cup of coffee over this just Thursday. Lucky him. However on 9-11 he got stranded 2000 miles from here.

[JRandomFreeper]

just said, "This is what we do".

LOL! Damn strait. It's what they do. Chaos into order. Food, shelter, clothing, and ping-pong in the common room.

/johnny

[decisis]

What if those US military bases had not been there? Very fortunate they were.

[listenhillary]

Interesting ping.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Interesting, glad they made it, but if another plane had ended up crashing out of fuel within the 30 minutes they could have stay aloft, their false declaration of an emergency would come back to haunt them.