Ethiopian Airlines lands at wrong airport

[Hogpatrol]

Landed at the wrong airport. Same day, another one almost did the same thing. SMH

Ethiopian Airlines 737 Freighter Lands At Wrong Airport

The pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines Cargo 737 flight headed to Ndola, Zambia landed at the wrong airport on Sunday.

www.gatechecked.com

Ethiopian Airways - Airline Ratings

www.airlineratings.com

 

[Philip Glass]

At least it was just a cargo plane.

 

[Hogpatrol]

At least it was just a cargo plane.

Yes and thankfully there wasn't any equipment on the runway.

 

[WAB]

Did you read about the second one? I don’t think I’d want to have been in that passenger plane. A go around at 50’ with a 737? I didn’t even know it was possible to put power on and reverse a landing at that elevation. That was a close thing!

 

[CJW]

Did you read about the second one? I don’t think I’d want to have been in that passenger plane. A go around at 50’ with a 737? I didn’t even know it was possible to put power on and reverse a landing at that elevation. That was a close thing!

Go to youtube and watch some videos of aborted landings due to wind. It's possible from lower than that or even after touching. Some real white knuckle moments.

 

[gbflyer]

Anyone who has flown much has done it. There are those that have and those that will. Anytime all the passengers and most of the aircraft survives a landing, it was successful.

 

[WAB]

Go to youtube and watch some videos of aborted landings due to wind. It's possible from lower than that or even after touching. Some real white knuckle moments.

I’ve flown a number of go arounds myself. There is a point beyond which you are going to touch. I would have thought that 50’ would be well inside that envelope for a 737.

 

[CAustin]

Did you read about the second one? I don’t think I’d want to have been in that passenger plane. A go around at 50’ with a 737? I didn’t even know it was possible to put power on and reverse a landing at that elevation. That was a close thing!

20 years ago I flew a Northwest Airlines flight going into Memphis TN on A very foggy morning. As we were about to land I was looking out the window of that venerable DC 9 when I noticed I couldn’t see pavement on the ground .....just grass.....then a massive array of elevated ground lights slipped by the wingtip and the pilot hit the throttles and pushed that plane for all it was worth back into the sky. A moment later the pilot came on the address system to tell us he was not lined up with the runway and that we were going around for another try. We were 50 feet or less off the ground. I Wouldn’t have thought it possible either if I hadn’t experienced it myself.

 

[CJW]

I’ve flown a number of go arounds myself. There is a point beyond which you are going to touch. I would have thought that 50’ would be well inside that envelope for a 737.

I'm just a student pilot so by no means a professional, I've only done go arounds in a 172, but when full power is applied on a go around the descent should be arrested almost immediately, probably sooner in a modern jet. Those big engines are paired to the airframe to give instantaneous and copious amounts of power not to mention the takeoff and landing speeds aren't all that different. I know what you're saying though. It's hard to believe that big beast can perform like that.

 

[CJW]

Anyone who has flown much has done it. There are those that have and those that will.

Land at the wrong airport or performing a go around?

 

[Hogpatrol]

Land at the wrong airport or performing a go around?

"Those that have and those that will" is an expression for retractable gear aircraft pilots landing with the gear in the wells. I never heard it used in reference to go arounds or landing at the wrong airport.

 

[gbflyer]

"Those that have and those that will" is an expression for retractable gear aircraft pilots landing with the gear in the wells. I never heard it used in reference to go arounds or landing at the wrong airport.

It’s an expression that encompasses many mistakes in aviation actually. But you probably know that.

 

[gbflyer]

Land at the wrong airport or performing a go around?

I was referring to landing at the wrong airport. Of course on a go around.

 

[PeteG]

Landed at the wrong airport. Same day, another one almost did the same thing. SMH

Ethiopian Airlines 737 Freighter Lands At Wrong Airport

The pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines Cargo 737 flight headed to Ndola, Zambia landed at the wrong airport on Sunday.

www.gatechecked.com

Ethiopian Airways - Airline Ratings

www.airlineratings.com

I hadn't heard about this until I saw the news on the internet and I live in this town.

If it was a freighter, perhaps it wasn't a mistake and was a special delivery

 

[Chickenfarmers]

So unprofessional.

 

[WAB]

My first solo was at the main airport in Fairbanks many moons ago. There was no one in the pattern and then a 737 shows up and they order me into a go around to get out of his way. I was a wreck by the time I got that plane on the ground!

 

[gbflyer]

My first solo was at the main airport in Fairbanks many moons ago. There was no one in the pattern and then a 737 shows up and they order me into a go around to get out of his way. I was a wreck by the time I got that plane on the ground!

Stress is certainly a factor that leads to mistakes, you witnessed it first hand. I learned at a towered airport also, and got issued a short approach on my first solo landing. I think those devils in the tower were bored and did it to see just what would happen.

Usually the wrong airport thing happens on a clear night on a visual approach. Your senses can do funny things, especially in a jet doing 200kts. In a lot of places, airports have similar layouts due to terrain, prevailing winds, or some other circumstances or coincidence. Add a little stress to that, maybe a captain and first officer don’t fly well together, tired, unfamiliar, inexperienced, whatever.

My one and so far only was landing at airport with the same runway orientation after a long cross country to an unfamiliar very rural desert area with very little time under my belt. Before the days of GPS and below/out of range of the VOR stations. My passengers had been there before and it looked right to them, so indecision/passenger pressure can also be added to the list. Yes I had a sectional, and I was totally screwed up. Certainly wasn’t an unsafe thing, it was a great landing. Kind of embarrassing to ask the FBO where I was though. Hahaha. He said I wasn’t the first. The cowboys in the back thought it was funny as Hell. We still had 30 miles to go.