Reminds me of the TWA 707 that landed at RAF Northolt instead of Heathrow prompting the painting of direction arrows on the Southall gas holder.
Also here.
I can understand with a whizz-wheel generated PLOG and a chart, and no GPS, that you might mistake one airfield for another, but with all the equipment in a 747?? If not anything else you would think they were coming in under radar control, a dedicated ILS / DME frequency, INS and so on…..
I have seen that the story has now changed from ‘wont be able to take off from such a small runway’ to “An attempt is scheduled for noon local time (18:00 GMT) on Thursday”. I am sure that willl make international television when it happens.
The TWA 707 at Northolt had the same problem – the runway was much too short. In the end they stripped the interior completely and departed Northolt (just) with minimum fuel for the 5 mile hop to Heathrow.
I am glad I am not flying in the USA – despite 1700hrs, I can’t understand at least 50% of what’s being said 
In Wichita there are three airports with nearly the same runway headings lined up within a few miles. McConnell, Beech, and Jabarra. That explains the initial confusion in knowing at which wrong airport he’d landed. Oh boy.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/21/travel/kansas-cargo-plane-wrong-airport/
An iPad suction cupped to the window, running Foreflight would’ve given them a whole lot better situational awareness.
That explains the initial confusion in knowing at which wrong airport he’d landed. Oh boy.
But does it, because an aircraft like that cant be landing at airports without quite precise GPS or INS coordinates or something, or as I mentioned above a dedicated ILS?
I initially assumed it was some old freighter with minimal equipment but the video shows that’s not quite true!
[ fixed the underline “feature” with spaces between the __ and the word :) ]
Just watched her depart – away she is!
Happens more often I guess in the USA?
