Delta plane mistakenly lands at military airbase

Fox News ^ | July 08, 2016 | Associated Press

[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.

[TADSLOS]

...not to mention an interstate that seperates the airfield from the airport.

[Celtic Conservative]

Over Macho Grande?

No, I don’t think I’ll ever be over Macho Grande.

=^)

CC

[Roman_War_Criminal]

Are people just stupid these days?

Lucky it didn’t get shot out of the sky.

[r_barton]

The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only.

The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of nuclear weapons only. There is no stopping in the red zone. ;-)

[diogenes ghost]

I was an ATC for 35 years, the linked article pretty well explains how it happens.

Many years ago when I was working at Chicago Center, I cleared a North Central DC-9 for a visual approach to Oshkosh after he reported airport in sight and canceled radar service. After what seemed a long time he was reported on ground at Oshkosh.

Turns out he had landed at Fond Du Lac, realized the mistake, turned around, took off for 10 mile trip to Oshkosh. Nobody knew, except....

The next day a waitress at the coffee shop at Fond Du Lac called the center asking why a DC-9 landed and took off from there.

Both pilots lost their job, not for the mistake, but or concealing it.

[Nifster]

Someone’s in trouble

[RayChuang88]

That's it. They need to update the Jeppesen charts AND make it mandatory that airliners flying to Rapid City, SD have airliner-quality GPS on board, which nowadays allow for positioning accuracy within five meters (16 feet) accuracy.

[Rushmore Rocks]

It’s happened before. It will happen again. Mr. RR and actually saw this plane last night while sitting on our deck.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

I speak jive if anyone on this thread doesn’t understand the reference.

[Fair Paul]

But he/she can say “I didn’t mean to land here” and all will be good. No intent, no foul.

[elcid1970]

What about the rotating beacons?

Green & white = civilian airport

Green & split white = military airfield

Very easy to distinguish at night/dusk.

[Fred Hayek]

The opposite has happened as well. In the seventies an FB-111 out of Plattsburgh AFB landed at the nearby commercial airport. And the plane was carrying SRAMs. That was a career ender.

[dfwgator]

[762X51]

I guess it’s a good thing when the airport you mistakenly land at has enough runway to handle the aircraft. As I recall sometimes they don’t.

[Mom MD]

I don’t think that works with the FAA Maybe they should investigate hilary

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Fortunately they landed at a SAC base with really long runways. I remember the story of a C17 that was coming into MacDill AFB but ended up at some general aviation airport in downtown Tampa.

[BraveMan]

"A passenger interviewed by the Rapid City Journal said she and her fellow passengers waited about 2½ hours in the plane at Ellsworth, where they were ordered to pull down their window shades as military personnel walked through the cabin with at least one firearm and a dog."

I hope they at least reopened the drink cart! I'd be cleaning them out of Jack Daniels in salutation of my unanticipated visit to Ellsworth. Talk about in-flight entertainment!

[dfwgator]

Don’t
Even
Land at
The right
Airport

[bgill]

We let anyone and everyone land on our military bases. Our enemies are taking note. Next time it won’t be an innocent mistake.

[Azeem]

This is not uncommon. Pilots confuse Tuscon and Davis-Monthan airfields.