The pilot is the ultimate authority, and screw ATC. He had a duty and obligation to override ATC, declare an emergency, and head straight for the nearest field. Pilot error!
He had a duty and obligation to override ATC, declare an emergency, and head straight for the nearest field.
Isn’t that what the article said the pilot did? He landed in a field, on Long Island. Away from the populous city.
That's what I was thinking..."ATC, you're gonna give us priority, or I might drop my plane down right on top of you!"
Amen. I remember a time when ATC refused to give us priority (F-4 military jet) and we just declared an emergency and then TOLD them what we were going to do. We ended up shutting down the engines with 2 minutes of fuel left. If we had obeyed ATC, we’d have punched out.
Correct! The term of non-compliance to an ATC is “unable”
“Pan Pan Pan” and “Mayday Mayday Mayday” trump all other aircraft and controllers.....
("we've declared an emergency, we're landing rwy(?)...get everyone out of our way")
Exactly - I’ve heard the tapes and that flight crew was not nearly assertive enough.
The pilot might not have been able to head to a near field. All the area may have been socked in and needing ground control help him land an airliner. I remember flying back from Gainsville in a light plane trying to land in Miami New Tamiami. It was socked in, so I flew to Homestead General. It closed in on my final. I knew about a little unused field (Aero Oasis) out in the middle of the everglade on Tamiami Trail where I landed. I would have run out of fuel if it had been socked in.