| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Mobile phone lands aircraft in wrong airport |
| 2005-09-14 |
JAKARTA: Wings Air passengers were baffled on Monday when the aircraft that took them from Jakarta landed in a deserted airport after the cabin crew announced they were arriving in Padang, West Sumatra, just on schedule. Although the recent air disaster that killed 150 people in the neighboring Medan was still on the mind of the 130 passengers, they did not panic because the MD-82 aircraft touched down perfectly. Still, they were confused when informed they had just landed on the wrong airport, Tabing Airport, which was closed on July 21, following the opening of the new Minangkabau International Airport elsewhere in Padang outskirts. The aircraft soon took off again with the cabin crew assuring everybody on board that nothing was to worry about the aircraft. A passenger, Syahrial, said he heard the pilot tell the air traffic control tower of the Minangkabau airport that the runway was in perfect view and ready to touch down. And the tower controller told the pilot to go ahead. A Minangkabau Airport spokesman Youhanes Gaffar said the incident happened because of bad weather and disruption of the aircraft's navigational system. "Apparently a passenger used his or her mobile phone when the aircraft was ready to land," he was quoted by Kompas daily as saying. |
| Posted by:DanNY |
| #9 Uh guys, that's a perfectly acceptable method of navigation (under VFR conditions, that is). |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-09-14 21:21 |
| #8 "Don't worry, it is just that if we fly higher the pilot will no longer see the road". Not only in Africa. 25 years ago, I used to regularly fly Empire Airlines, the NY state regional carrier. Part of their fleet was small 6 or 8 seat passenger planes that flew relatively low and followed the NY state thruway from Utica to NY city rather than a direct route over the Catskills. I sat behind the copilot on one occasion and could see the road map on his lap. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-09-14 20:34 |
| #7 There's also the pilot telling his co-pilot before landing: "I really need to stop drinking now, I'm driving home tonight. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-09-14 16:31 |
| #6 There was a story about an Aeroflot pilot flying under the influence who landed at his old air force base instead of the destination airport. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-09-14 10:58 |
| #5 The following story is also allegedly true. Reeves Air had the contract to fly people out to Shemya Air Base in the Aleutians. One day a pilot was making an approach in zero visability due to fog conditions. Ground control warned him, but he pressed on anyway. Got the plane down, couldn't see to taxi, shut it down and called base ops to come and guide him in. Well, they couldn't find him anywhere on the runway. They kept asking him where he was and all he could say was; "I'm on the ground". Turns out he had landed on the old, and now abandoned WWII airstrip that was next to the active runway. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-09-14 08:51 |
| #4 In some parts of the world pilot training is say, somewhat poor. The following story is allegedly true. It happenned in Africa to two low ranked professional tennis players. They boarded the plane (they told it was a big plane so I guess it was a jet), the plane took off and after a while one of the players noticed the plane was flying unusually low so he asked the stewardess if tehre was a problem. "Don't worry, it is just that if we fly higher the pilot will no longer see the road". |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-09-14 06:59 |
| #3 I seriously doubt that having a cell phone on makes you line up with the wrong airport. The theory is that it makes controls screwy, not perfect for the wrong place. And that theory is highly suspect to the point where they're loosening rules on electronic devices. |
| Posted by: JAB 2005-09-14 01:11 |
| #2 I call bullshit.... a deserted airport with a working instrument landing system? I'm not a pilot, but I assume visual landings are not done in bad weather. A passenger, Syahrial, said he heard the pilot tell the air traffic control tower of the Minangkabau airport that the runway was in perfect view and ready to touch down. And the tower controller told the pilot to go ahead. LOL. Excellent hearing. Unless the guy was listening in with a scanner. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-09-14 00:39 |
| #1 I'm not saying this is impossible, but I find it very suspicious. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-09-14 00:27 |