Posted on 01/13/2014 5:09:11 AM PST by billorites
A Southwest Airlines flight that was scheduled to arrive Sunday night at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri instead landed at an airport 7 miles north -- with a runway half the size of the intended destination.
Southwest Airlines Flight 4013, carrying 124 passengers and five crew members, was scheduled to go from Chicago's Midway International Airport to Branson Airport, airline spokesman Brad Hawkins said in a statement late Sunday. But the Boeing 737-700 landed about 7 miles northeast at Taney County Airport, which is also known as M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport.
Hawkins did not have information on why the plane went to the wrong airport. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the agency is investigating the incident.
"The landing was uneventful, and all customers and crew are safe," Hawkins said.
It's the second time in less than two months that a large jet has landed at the wrong airport. In November, a Boeing 747 that was supposed to deliver parts to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan., landed 9 miles north at Col. James Jabara Airport. That plane was flown by a two-person crew and had no passengers.
The website for M. Graham Clark Airport says its longest runway is 3,738 feet. Branson Airport's website says its runway is 7,140 feet long.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’m very happy that I don’t have to fly anywhere.
“Folks, this is your captain speaking. Whoops! Something funny happened just now....”
Must of been a Visual Approach, and pilots heads looking out the window, with not a glance at nav equipment (GPS).
? Time Zone change ?
Mighta thrown off the GPS
/S
or the Polar Vortex
Been through bad weather, bad passengers, bad flight attendants, airport diversions and one depressurization - masks and all drop down.
I will still fly since I have max status on Southwest - traveling with without status looks miserable.
Southwest will have apology emails in the ether this morning and be lawyered up by nightfall.
I'll bet that the pilot's union will have postings for two experienced pilots, available to work immediately ...
LOL! every time I hear that I get a mental image of the Coke Bear on an iceberg spinning around in the ocean.
My guess, a Visual approach, at night, both airports have the same runway alignment. SW sees the beacon for the smaller airport, reports what he thinks is Branson airport in sight, and is cleared for the approach. Not the first time and will not be the last.
Crappy non-union outfit..../sarc
Don’t these planes have a basic GPS system?
My phone or the Captain’s could have told him he was in the wrong place.
It's hard to stick to CRM disciplines when you're tired and nobody is looking at you, but that's when you need them most.
I've landed on the wrong runway, but haven't landed at the wrong airport...yet.
Landed on the taxiway once, lol...
What’s the big deal? Just a little further to taxi to the arrival gate...
“...uh, folks...we touched down right on time, however there’ll be some delay in getting to our gate. Depending on the traffic, we should arrive there in about 30 minutes. Pay no attention to the vehicles and stop lights as we taxi in.”
Well, at least the pilots didn’t do a “touch and go..”
Oh! no, I don't.
I wonder why folks use this spelling, instead of "must've been" or "must have been".
Because no matter how old one is, no matter how much distance one has to what one learned in grammar school, one is still a student of the English language...
I will add this item to my writing repertoire!
[actually, I know better... just that while focusing on the topic and some of the grammar, others sometimes get away!]
I'm sorry to hear that. The reference is not to Southwest but that you fly nearly 100 times each year. What a drag that must be.
Landed at this airport several times and driven by the shorter one quite a bit. Real hard to understand how this could happen given the location and terrain.
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