Airline Pilot Central Forums - Atlas Crew Lands Dreamlifter Wrong Airport

Airline Pilot Central Forums (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/)

- Cargo (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cargo/)

- - Atlas Crew Lands Dreamlifter Wrong Airport (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cargo/78358-atlas-crew-lands-dreamlifter-wrong-airport.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmykool (Post 1526046)

fwiw Atlas aircraft don't necessarily have a big US database loaded up. This could have prevented any approach displays on the mfd. don't know if that was so for this case. i flew to multiple US airports that weren't in the database and assumed it was because all the international data took up so much storage.

Are you talking about KAAO or KIAB not in the database? KIAB would definitely be in the database or they wouldn't be allowed to shoot the RNAV approach (can't hand build anything RNAV). Plus they fly there all the time. If you're talking about KAAO to show up on the ND with ARPT selected, then I'll agree that it more then likely wasn't in there since it is a smaller GA airport.

I am assuming this plane has the PEGASUS FMC, so changing out navdatabases based on geographical regions isn't required. If it doesn't have the PEG and the airports were not in the database and they did in-fact hand build an RNAV approach, then that is bad for the crew since it is a big no-no and likely a contributing factor.

Will be interesting when the facts come out, should be interesting because everything is speculation right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busboy (Post 1526032)

Get them back? Just take a Delta flight to Europe. Same girls from that film are still working the flights.

Or Hawaii. You know, the "Hawaii Five-O" club.

Not because they're all 50+ years old, because they have 50 years of seniority.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaydayMark (Post 1526050)

I'm really surprised that the consensus seems to be "Could happen to anyone" attitude. I'm not sure a private pilot in his Cessna could explain landing at the wrong airport? :confused: They make comedy movies with scenes like this!

And - it might not have been in his FMS Data Base? Doesn't the "DreamLifter" fly there routinely? How could it not be in the data base?

Does that mean that all the analog airplanes we've collectively ever flow (early model 747's, 737's, 727's, DC-10's, DC-9's) couldn't land at the "right" airport.

You guys are screwing with me ... right? :eek:

I think it is the same analogy as saying "landing gear up can never happen too me".

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnso29 (Post 1526043)

That's the truth!!! :(

Thought about "hittin it" last week in Rome...just so I could say I did. Fortunately the other FO was sober. God bless the Marine Corps.

I'm usually quick to jump on guys for speculating about accidents before the FACTS have been released. In this case no one was hurt, at least not that we know about yet anyway.

If ... "It could happen to anyone."

How come it's never happened to 99% of us (maybe more)? Should the 1% still have their licenses? :confused: It's been touched on very lightly here ... where was ATC? If the crew was, in fact, cleared for an Instrument approach ... why wasn't there a LOW ALTITUDE WARNING issued by ATC?

I can't think of a bigger screw-up (where people lived anyway).

Did they have to call in Boeing Test Pilots to get it out of there?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busboy (Post 1526032)

Get them back? Just take a Delta flight to Europe. Same girls from that film are still working the flights.

LMFAO....I think some are at us air too...I see them every time I'm jumpseating

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaydayMark (Post 1526109)

It's been touched on very lightly here ... where was ATC? If the crew was, in fact, cleared for an Instrument approach ... why wasn't there a LOW ALTITUDE WARNING issued by ATC?

Not to nitpick, but even controllers make mistakes ya know.

Remember LEX?

I've been in ORD and cleared to line up and wait, with an aircraft on final about 1/2 mile final. The list goes on and on where ATC makes mistakes ALSO.

It just sucks where there's a breakdown/failure of the system on multiple layers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBojangles (Post 1525772)

seems like a lot of these happen around air force bases. just an observation. This one, the Macdill incidents in tampa, NWA had an airbus land at Ellsworth one time instead of Rapid City. I'm sure there are more

Been a few "almost" at GEG/Fairchild AFB.

KELP (El Paso, TX) and Biggs AAF (KBIF)

IAD (Dulles) & KADW (Andrews Air Force Base)

They're only 30 miles part and both have North/South runways!*? It could be easy to confuse them on a visual approach?

MIA & FLL look similar?

It would be a biotch to think you were landing in SEA but actually land in SLC?

The list is endless but we get paid to PAY ATTENTION and land at the CORRECT one.

What's next? ... Maintenance "accidently " mounts a 727 tire on my 747? I mean "it could happen to anybody." They look really similar and they're right next to each other on the tire changing rack! :eek:

We all realize that the news media doesn't know much about aviation and frequently gets FACTS wrong but this article makes the pilot (Capt?) sound pretty confused?

http://news.yahoo.com/jumbo-jet-mist...--finance.html