Posted on 07/09/2016 6:37:51 AM PDT by r_barton
WASHINGTON – A Delta Air Lines jetliner with 130 passengers on board landed at the wrong airport in South Dakota Thursday evening, said a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident. The Delta A320 landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base at 8:42 p.m. Central Time Thursday, when its destination was an airport in Rapid City, board spokesman Peter Knudson said Friday.
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Cannot undo all those years of military training.
Force of habit?
8:42 pm? It was probably getting dark.
8:42 pm? It was probably getting dark.
But an unfortunate career limiting mistake. Too bad.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there will be a longer than usual walk to the baggage claim area.”
Sum Ting Wong.
How does this happen ? Aren’t the pilots in contact with the controllers/ tower ?
Retraining is all. The sched’s need pilots and unless it’s a real serious mistake they’ll keep them.
Some pilot is losing his license....
I was stationed out there. This happens every couple of years. The base and the municipal airport are very close.
Only if he’s a white male.
HTH does that happen?
I can see some passengers in the back following the flight on Google maps on their cell phones saying, “We’ve landed at the Air Force base!” ;-)
Maybe they should all chip in and buy the Captain a Garmin. ;-)
How does this happen ? Aren’t the pilots in contact with the controllers/ tower ?
ATC clears them for a visual approach ... pilots visually spot the runway at Ellsworth, which is parallel to the Rapid City runway, and separated by about 10 miles. Pilots don’t crosscheck ILS or other navaids.
It’s happened before.
That would have presented...problems.
The pilot never was the same after losing his squad over Macho Grande.
Happens periodically in Tucson, the main TIA runway and the main DM runway are at almost the exact same angle, and less than a minute apart at jet speed. Yes they’re in communication with but when the distance is just a couple of miles by the time anybody notices you’re on the wrong approach you’ve probably already touched down.
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