OOPS - Dreamlifter lands at wrong airport

[ea6bflyr]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/passantino/massive-plane-mistakenly-lands-at-a-tiny-kansas-airport-and

Not really sure how you could make this mistake? Both KAAO and KIAB have instrument approaches....Even if they were doing a VISUAL approach, you'd think they would look at the airfield beacon (split White & Green v. White & Green).

Biggest difference was that KAAO has a 6K foot runway and KIAB has a 12K foot runway. WTF?

At least no one was hurt.....I'm thinking the pilots may be looking for a new job soon.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/passantino/massive-plane-mistakenly-lands-at-a-tiny-kansas-airport-and

Not really sure how you could make this mistake?

Ask the guys who landed a C-17 at Peter O. Knight instead of MacDill. The longest runway at the former is about 3,400 feet, and at the latter 11,000 feet.

 

[PhrogLoop]

Not really sure how you could make this mistake? Both KAAO and KIAB have instrument approaches....Even if they were doing a VISUAL approach, you'd think they would look at the airfield beacon (split White & Green v. White & Green).

I've flown in and out of both McConnell AFB and Beech Field (where they thought they were) and I can say with certainty that a complacent crew with poor CRM skills can easily make this mistake - it's happened before. I picked up a few T-6s from Beech Field and we're talking about 3 nearly identical looking airstrips in VERY close proximity in the middle of Kansas at night. Beech is 3 miles from Jabara and less than 5 miles from McConnell. Oh, and Jabara and Beech share one CTAF when the towers are closed. So they were likely handed off from Approach to CTAF by which time they NEEDED to be on a visual/contact approach because the tower was closed. So if these dummies were behind the jet (fumbling with approach plates, radios, gear checks) and looked out the window and saw approach lighting without backing themselves up on the instruments...well, you can see how the swiss cheese holes aligned.

Here are the remarks for Beech Field on Airplan.com, I'm assuming they would have been the same in NOTAMS and also their carrier's flight planning system.
Remarks:
ARR & DEP ACFT MAINTAIN 2200 FT MSL WITHIN 5 MILES OF FIELD DUE TO AFB TRAFFIC.
PARKING UNAVBL EXC 4 HRS PPR CALL 316-676-7140.
ARRIVALS FROM THE WEST ENTER THE PATTERN EAST ALONG 13TH ST.
CTAF 122.7 USED JOINTLY WITH JABARA ARPT WHEN BEECH ATCT CLSD.
DEER, COYOTE & MIGRATORY WATER FOWL ON & INVOF ARPT.
PPR FOR PARKING OR TAXIING WEST SIDE OF RY.
BE ALERT COL JAMES JABARA ARPT 3 MILES NORTH 1/2 MILE WEST OF ARPT.
WHEN TWR CLSD CTC SECURITY ON UNICOM FREQ 122.95 WHEN CLEAR OF RY.

 

[BusyBee604]

Ask the guys who landed a C-17 at Peter O. Knight[/URL] instead of MacDill. The longest runway at the former is about 3,400 feet, and at the latter 11,000 feet.

Meh, Bee and 2 other Pri Studs on our first T-28 cross country out of Whiting, tried hard to land on a parallel taxiway at [then] Pinecastle AFB. We were thwarted by an alert tower & IP. Much gnashing of teeth, but luckily, no unsats 'cause no one touched down. Schist happens!
BzB

 

[707guy]

Meh, Bee and 2 other Pri Studs on our first T-28 cross country out of Whiting, tried hard to land on a parallel taxiway at [then] Pinecastle AFB. We were thwarted by an alert tower & IP. Much gnashing of teeth, but luckily, no unsats 'cause no one touched down!
BzB

I'm sure you guys were just making sure the IP and ATC were on their toes...

 

[Fallonflyr]

Had a 4 ship of Hornets (led by a senior field grade) on a X-c gas stop at Biggs AAF do a shithot break at El Paso International.
https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF...23671&ei=LmOOUoP7E8S7igLyi4GwDQ&ved=0CI0BEPwS

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

​

Meh, Bee and 2 other Pri Studs on our first T-28 cross country out of Whiting, tried hard to land on a parallel taxiway at [then] Pinecastle AFB. We were thwarted by an alert tower & IP. Much gnashing of teeth, but luckily, no unsats 'cause no one touched down. Schist happens!
BzB

I heard of a student back in Daytona who took off from the taxiway. He/she was holding short of the active runway on Taxiway Echo, heard "Runway 7 left, cleared for takeoff from Echo" from the tower, and just took right off from Echo instead of turning onto the runway. I'd love to know what they were thinking when they got that radio call. "Cleared for takeoff from Echo?? Well, if you say so."

 

[Renegade One]

If I had a dollar for every Navy aircraft who went into the break at Stapleton instead of Lowry AFB in Denver (pre-1994)…well, I'd have a lot of dollars.