AirAsia pilot flies to Melbourne instead of Malaysia after navigation error

the guardian ^ | 8 sept 2016 | Georgina Mitchell

[DUMBGRUNT]

Several key navigation systems, including autopilot, were knocked out and the plane was unable to return to Sydney as low cloud and rain meant the flight crew couldn't see the runway....

According to the ATSB, the captain accidentally omitted a zero when he was entering the plane's longitude. This meant the navigation system thought the plane was near the South African city of Cape Town - 11,000 kilometres away.

[DUMBGRUNT]

All fun until you have to make like the Gimli Glider over the ocean.

[lodi90]

Air Asia? Insert Sum Ting Wong joke here. LOL.

[Ken H]

Geez, who hasn't gone to the wrong continent at some point in their lives?

[Byron_the_Aussie]

Luckily this guy wasn’t leading the Doolittle Raid.

[Redcitizen]

At least they didn’t land where MH370 landed.

[Eddie01]

Backing into another car in a parking lot is way worse.

[Fiji Hill]

Melbourne, Fla. (MLB)? That’s a long way from Malaysia.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Is still called landed, when deep in the ocean?

[yarddog]

That is worse than Wrong Way Feldman. Actually I don’t really know but it might be.

[USMCPOP]

Wong Wei.

Wen Tu Fah.

[Redcitizen]

Yeah. The ground might be a little bit wet.

[DUMBGRUNT]

The castaways discover that famed but long-lost pilot Wrongway Feldman and his plane are on the island. They try to convince him to fly to civilization and ...

Had to look that one up,laughed when I saw the source.

[Billthedrill]

Well, they both start with the letter M. Could happen to anybody. At least it wasn’t Missoula, Montana.

[Cementjungle]

Melbourne airport is 722km southwest of Sydney. Kuala Lumpur is 6,611km northwest.

7,000km is so darned close anyone could have made that mistake.

[Gay State Conservative]

Melbourne, Fla. (MLB)? That’s a long way from Malaysia.

So is Melbourne,Australia.

[yarddog]

Gilligan’s Island is one of those shows where you shouldn’t think too much.

[Mat_Helm]

Check compass heading and do not rely on autopilot inputs......oooppssss

[DUMBGRUNT]

That’s right.
No harm, no foul.

No Blood, No Foul??

[DUMBGRUNT]

Check compass heading and do not rely on autopilot inputs......oooppssss

Who would know, with all the instruments staring back at you.

They say, if you really want to screw something up, you need a computer.

[Celtic Conservative]

Too much automation in the cockpit. Pilots seem to be taught to manage systems more than actually flying the plane. The pilot flies the computer while the computer flies the plane.

CC