When pilots don't know where they land

e30cabrio · #1 11-21-2013, 01:16 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...rport/3661511/

A massive Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane landed at the wrong airport late Wednesday.
The plane is now scheduled to depart the airport at 1 p.m. ET, according to The City of Wichita's Twitter account. Initially, there had been concern about whether the airport's 6,100-foot runway would be long enough for the Dreamlifter to take off from the airport.
As for the initial incident, the plane was supposed to fly to the McConnell Air Force Base from New York JFK Airport. Instead, it set down instead at Jabara Airport near Wichita in an apparent mistake.
FACT SHEET: The 747 Dreamlifter (Boeing)
"A Dreamlifter bound for McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita safely landed this evening at nearby Col. James Jabara Airport instead. We are working to determine next steps and will have additional information in the morning," Boeing said in a statement seen by local media.
It appears as though the pilots confused the airports, according to air traffic control recordings.
Citing audio from LiveATC.net, Wichita's KWCH TV reports the Dreamlifter was given clearance to land at McConnell AFB but instead landed about 9 miles north at Jabara around 9:20 p.m. CT Wednesday evening.
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According to the audio, the Dreamlifter pilots can be heard saying to the McConnell control tower: "Ahh, yes sir, we just landed at the other airport."
The Wall Street Journal adds that even after landing, the recordings "indicate that the crew was still disoriented about its location, believing it had landed at Beech Factory Airport, which is home to Beechcraft Inc.'s facilities. In fact, the jumbo jet had landed at Jabara Airport just to the north.
The City of Wichita's Twitter account said no one was injured and there were no reports of damage to property when the plane landed.
The Dreamlifter was custom-built by Boeing to haul large pieces of its 787 Dreamliner from suppliers to the jetmaker's assembly line locations. Boeing claims the massive Dreamlifter aircraft can haul more cargo by volume than any airplane in the world.