Plane Lands at Air Force Base by Mistake

Newsday ^ | June 20, 2004 | N/A

[swilhelm73]

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Northwest Airlines flight that was headed to Rapid City, S.D., landed a few miles off course at Ellsworth Air Force Base, and passengers had to wait in the plane for more than three hours while their crew was interrogated.

Passengers on Northwest Flight 1152, an Airbus A-319 from St. Paul, expected to be welcomed to Rapid City Regional Airport on Saturday, but after about five minutes they were told to close their window shades and not look out, said passenger Robert Morrell.

[Graybeard58]

Posted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1156920/posts

[PokeyJoe]

Folks, do not look out your window. You might see a B-1 Bomber.

[representativerepublic]

This happened in Tampa a few years ago. A Delta 727 landed at MacDill AFB (home of CentCom) which is about 10 miles southwest of Tampa Int'l. Both airfields have north/south runways and a southern approach goes over the water. I believe the weather conditions were about the same.

[Servant of the 9]

PING

[Sub-Driver]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1156920/posts

[jwpjr]

I was at Peter O. Knight airport on Davis Islands one morning in 1985 when an air force C-141 came within a quarter mile of landing on POK's runway having mistaken it for the much larger (and several miles more distant) runway at MacDill AFB. The final approach for the MacDill runway passes right over POK airport and apparently this guy had been above the clouds all the way from somewhere in the Carolinas and broke out them just in time to let his mind play tricks on him and convince him he had MacDill in site. He had descended to about 500 feet when he realized the situation and we were treated to a pretty spectacular missed approach procedure. Never did hear the full story on the incident, but I sure was out there on the line when he buzzed us!