You mentioned that CKB had a VOR on the field. That brought your credibility into question, in my opinion. As someone who has been into CKB 201 times over the past 5 years, I'm saying I can see where a crew on their inaugural flight, being asses and elbows, could screw things up quickly. Sure, they didn't look for the airport beacon on the west side of the field. Sure, they didn't notice the lack of instrument approach lighting. I have flown over Fairmont many times with an overcast/moonless sky and never seen the river. I have broken out on approach into CKB and thought we were high, only to double check the instruments and realize we were over Fairmont and not Clarksburg. Does it absolve the crew from doing their jobs? No. My point: It's easy to see how a chain of events could build up and culminate with them landing at the wrong field. Luckily they didn't go off the end. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder for everyone pay attention and speak up if something doesn't seem right.

 

If it is who I think it is, this guy was finishing up his sim in MSP while I was there for during systems. If my memory is correct, I think his last commercial flying job was 7 years ago.

 

Looks like several landings occured at military bases oops !



Ally

 

Biggs AFB near ELP.....

 

Are mil guys "anal" about things like verifying, crosschecking, looking at things like runway length and general airport picture when landing?

If there were those details to be sweated and the big stuff taken care of, maybe the C17 guys recently wouldn't have made a boo boo.

Crap can happen to ANYBODY, it's proven itself to NOT have bias against training, background, experience level, etc.

 

Can't speak for the C-17, but runway length, orientation, and desired landing spot were briefed in my squadron. If not touched down by the briefed position, it was a no-fault go. It can happen to anyone, but that doesn't make it blameless. I'll bet the -17 crew were downgraded, too.

We did have a crew make an accidental attempt to land at the wrong airport in Macon, the briefing procedure saved 'em. Co-pilot said "the ILS doesn't look right".

GF

 

Out of these dozens of wrong airport landings, what is the tower saying to the inbound aircraft? "Cleared to land", (but I don't see you anywhere, I guess you're there?). I realize some of these were austere locations, or maybe outside of official Tower hours, but otherwise, shouldn't a Tower controller be wondering where the airplane is, that he just cleared to land? And maybe pimp the pilot as to his whereabouts?
Maybe I'm expecting too much, but the McDill C17 got me wondering the same thing - how do you miss that?

 

You are correct. The tower is supposed to see the aircraft out the window or on radar before giving a landing clearance, otherwise the aircraft is to be advised, "Not in sight from the tower."

 

As in this case these landings usually happen at uncontrolled fields and the field is mistaken for the destination airport. The crew calls it in sight and the en route controller says change to advisory radar services terminated or change to advisory and you close out upon landing.

 

HIFLYER

Nice try, but I seriously doubt that was the explanation of the C-17--Tampa Approach by that point must have handed them over to tower-controlled MacDill AFB. Probably tower cleared them to land with the Buddha in sight, crew dived for Peter Knight. Rumor I heard 24+ hour crew duty day might be involved, but fatigue will b ruled out. I guarantee it.

GF