Southwest Airlines pilots: It looked like the right Branson Airport

[Karee 4,191]

The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that the pilots of the Southwest Airlines jet that landed at the wrong Missouri airport Sunday had the right airport loaded in their flight management computer.

However, they saw the other airport from the air, thought it was the correct airport and landed there instead. It was the captain’s first attempted landing at Branson and the first officer’s second. The first officer’s other landing had been during the daylight; Sunday’s landing was after sunset.

Here’s part of the NTSB update:

During the interviews, the pilots told investigators that the approach had been programmed into their flight management system, but that they first saw the airport beacon and the runway lights of M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport, located in Hollister, Mo., which they mistakenly identified as Branson Airport.

They cited the bright runway lights at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport and the fact that the runway was oriented in a similar direction. They also informed investigators that they flew a visual approach into what they believed to be Branson Airport and that they did not realize they were at the wrong airport until they had landed.

They confirmed that they utilized heavy braking to bring the aircraft to a stop and then advised the Branson Airport tower that they had landed at the wrong airport.

The Hollister airport has a short runway of less than 3,800 feet, rather than the Branson Airport and its 7,000-foot runway.

The flight from Chicago Midway was scheduled to land in Branson and then continue on to Dallas Love Field. After the wrong-airport mishap, passengers were bused from the Hollister airport to the Branson airport, about six miles away.

Southwest sent another plane to pick them up, with the passengers arriving back in Dallas about 4 1/2 hours late just before midnight Sunday.

Southwest flew the Boeing 737-700 out of the Hollister airport Monday afternoon. After landing in Tulsa, the aircraft was placed back into passenger service later Monday.

The NTSB said investigators interviewed the captain and first officer Thursday, as well as a dispatcher who was riding in a cockpit jumpseat behind the pilots.

The pilot, who began work at Southwest in 1999, had 16,000 flight hours as a pilot and 6,700 hours as a Boeing 737 captain, the NTSB said. The first officer, who started at Southwest in 2001, had logged about 25,000 flight hours, the agency said.

According to the cockpit voice recorder, “the Southwest crew was informed by air traffic control that that they were 15 miles from their intended target, which was Branson Airport. The crew responded that they had the airfield in sight and ATC cleared the aircraft for a visual approach and landing on runway 14 at Branson Airport,” the NTSB stated.

“According to the CVR, the landing was uneventful and it was not until shortly after landing that the crew realized they had landed at the wrong airport,” the agency said.

Source: http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/southwest-airlines-pilots-it-looked-like-the-right-branson-airport.html/

[GandD 5,966]

Obama!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

This has been happening quite a bit lately - I remember the C-17 that landed on a little air strip not far from McDill AFB last year.

Air Force blames pilot fatigue for C-17 landing 4 miles from MacDill

Or the Ethiopian flight that touched down at the wrong airport in Tanzania last month

Incident: Ethiopian B763 at Arusha on Dec 18th 2013, landed on short runway at wrong airport

Edited January 18, 2014 by Mr. Big Dog

[TBoneTX 46,213]

That Southwest captain has a lot of flight hours, but the airline has the very highest of standards... and they would have no problem finding a replacement hire.

Back in 2004, a Northwest Airlines jet landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base instead of the Rapid City, SD commercial airport. I asked a buddy of mine -- a captain for Delta (Western D, not regular D) who had recently retired off the 737. He first said the following:

"I don't know how it could have happened except the two fields are only a few miles apart and Ellsworth is easier to spot than RAP from a distance. I have landed at RAP dozens of times and always needed radio nav aids until about 10 miles out."

And, on follow-up:

"--it happens. A Western captain landed a 737 in Buffalo, Wyoming several years ago instead of at Sheridan. There were extenuating circumstances, like a lot of weather that knocked out all the local nav aids. Of course he received the dumbshit award (1,000 attaboys does not make up for one dumbshit). His case was thoroughly investigated by the company and the FAA, and he was allowed to finish out his career. He was also made the grand marshal of Buffalo's 'Crazy Days' celebration!

"The Northwest pilots are now a valuable asset to the company because they are a couple of guys who will NEVER land at the wrong airport again. I believe they will retain their jobs."

---

(Back "live" now) I never heard what did happen to the Northwest pilots, because apparently the company treated the situation as a confidential personnel matter. Anyone with further knowledge, I'm interested in hearing.