2StgTurbine

One factor could be the approach lights for the runways. 28L has MALSR and 28R has ALSF-2. The approach lights to 28R are brighter and stick out more than 28L. The crew could have seen the lights for 28R and mistaken them for 28L and therefore shift over to the right. The lights of the airplanes on the taxiway could have added to the confusion.

I had a similar thing happen to me in IAD. Normally the far west runway (19R) is not used late at night, but this night they actually had the east runway (19L) shutdown. I was cleared to land on 19C, so I started to line up with the runway to the right of what I thought was runway 19L. Thankfully I noticed that the localizer was not matching where my brain thought I was and the other crew member pointed out my mistake and I was still 15 miles away.

nfnsquared

From this video, really hard to see how they mistook the taxiway for 28R....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNMtMYUGjnQ

BMEP100

SFO is run pretty fast and loose. It is another accident waiting to happen. Approach issues ambiguous clearances, uses non standard phraseology, and has an "attitude".

I have had two close calls there over the last 5 years, where controllers made serious errors, and tried to cover them up.

One was my takeoff clearance on 1 R , with freighter on 3 mile final,to 28r with no landing lights on. (Rejected takeoff)
Another was emergency braking rolling off the 28l high speed with a an RJ under ground control cleared across our path on "B"at the intersection.

To be fair, it seems they are under a lot of pressure to move metal and it is a difficult geographic environment.

My favorite theses days is the "clearance" to fly the FMS bridge visual, "except maintain 8000", especially when the weather is less than 6 miles vis.

Ya'll be careful, out there.

blastoff

The "FMS Bridge visual" is a selectable RNAV approach, complete with glideslope and horizontal guidance. You usually get cleared for it way out on the feeder route from the STAR or with "traffic in sight" if there's traffic on 28L. On the Airbus, having it up precludes using the ILS and vice versa...you could have the ILS in the secondary flight plan and then activate it fairly quickly...totally unnecessary as the RNAV guidance is sufficient.

blastoff

Other than some rumors the day it happened, has it been confirmed 28L was closed (as SFO has been doing several days a week for the last few months)? To me the simplest answer is they didn't review the NOTAM'd runway closure and saw 28R and assumed it was the left (which would have been dark except for the flashing "X")

shfo

Tell them UBABLE, if need be. This past winter there were many days when the Metar was showing 14025G35KT but magically the ATIS was showing 20025KT so they could land 28s. This was also during heavy rains. If there is ever an accident due to incorrect info given there will be hell to pay.

C130driver

Thank god the United 787 pilot (I believe) said something over the radio for everyone to hear leading to the tower to call the go around. Had the pilots realized their mistake even a second later and called their own go around, they may have very well collided in the reaction time of pushing the power up and arresting the descent.

Adlerdriver

I'm not sure that will have the desired effect.

threeighteen

wow, source?

Mink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydUqfhNqUIc

Info from Flight Aware, according to the video.