Posted on 04/19/2011 2:50:28 PM PDT by traumer
A White House plane carrying Michelle Obama came dangerously close to a 200-ton military cargo jet and had to abort its landing at Joint Base Andrews on Monday as the result of an air traffic controller’s mistake, according to federal officials familiar with the incident.
Ultimately controllers at Andrews feared the cargo jet would not clear the runway in time, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak for their agencies.
FAA officials confirmed that the first lady was aboard the plane but had no additional immediate comment. They expected to release a statement later Tuesday. The first lady’s office also had no immediate comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration, already dealing with a series of controversies involving controllers sleeping and watching a movie on the job, sent a team of investigators Tuesday to the Warrenton radar control center, where the mistake was made.
The first lady was returning from a television appearance and other events with Jill Biden in New York and was aboard a Boeing 737 that is part of the presidential fleet of jets when the error occurred on final approach to Andrews.
The controllers in the tower at Andrews recognized that the massive C-17 and the Obama flight, designated EXEC1F, a classification for a plane carrying members of the president’s family, were far too close when the Warrenton controller handed off responsibility for the two aircraft.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I would have thought she would have been on the 200-ton military cargo jet. Don’t like her, don’t like him. I’m glad she’s safe, Vera, not so much!
Hmmm...perhaps air traffic controllers firing a shot across the ol’ Obama ship’s bow to suggest to them he may want to call off all the heat FAA’s putting on those sleepy little controllers? Who knows, next time maybe they just take a little nappy time before the Obummer’s next landing? Hmmmm?
5th column
With the size of her ass, she should have been on the cargo plane.
Mistake? Did you say ‘Mistake”? HHHmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Verrrry Interesting!
No comment....
Glad to hear our First Lady has landed safely.
And I wish her well in 2013 in all of her private endeavors.
GONE SHOPPING......
“Aborted” the landing. Pure rubbish.
The jet was sequenced on approach and was inbound when the C-17 took a little longer to clear the runway than anticipated.
No big deal.
The jet was sent around and no landing was aborted.
The jet was never issued clearance to land and was only cleared for the approach.
Like when writing about firearms, reporters should pass a competency test on the basics so they can get the story correct and avoid overly-heated alarmist headlines and articles.
Did she go to New York for lunch again?
Thank goodness that the military air crew was safe...not saying anything else.
Where’s the sacrifice on the part of the WH?
Couldn’t the tv crews come to DC and save the taxpayers another million bucks flying her and her little friends on shopping trips????
I am sick and tired of these grifters telling the rest of us to sacrifice while they live it up like the Jeffersons.
I like the fact that the planes ‘were far too close’, but we must understand we’re dealing with journalists.
You have a knack for words. Well stated!
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