A Little Navigation Error

[Bill Greenwood]

These days there is a lot of navigation done by electronic whiz gizmo gadgets that sometimes replaces the pilot actually knowing and thinking. It often works, but is not foolproof.
From today's newpaper, sport section: Two skydivers were hired to be the opening act by jumping into the N. Carolina vs McNeese game and delivering the game ball.. After a short weather delay the men landed just fine,the timing was perfect as the teams were lined up for the kickoff. Only problem the jerseys said Duke, and Madison, not N C. The pilot had held overhead, then when the clouds cleared he saw the stadium and the jumpers made a bullseye, give or take about 8 miles.

Last edited by Bill Greenwood on Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Chicoartist]

Along those lines, I have never, ever, tried to land at the wrong airport. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Or, in the words of Delta Airlines, "Real Men Land Where They Want To!"

Wade

[hang the expense]

I will own up to it.I have landed at an airport and have had to ask where the hell was I.No behind chewing would equal the embarrasment and it never happened again.

[Fouga23]

A crew chief friend of mine once greeted a Swiss F-18 pilot. Welcome to **AB sir. **? not ***AB?

[CAPFlyer]

I've sat down at the wrong airport before, unfortunately it was at night and airport looked EXACTLY like the one I wanted to land at. Now this was in a plane without any DME, one ADF (that didn't work), no GPS, and the transponder failed after I departed my intended destination to head home and it was at night.

I wish it was a story, but I've got 2 friends who witnessed the whole thing and me having to make a phone call to the FSS to let them know that I was okay, I didn't crash, and could they help me figure out where the heck I was (this was also pre-Lockheed).

[Second Air Force]

I lined up on the wrong parallel runway once, but between the approach controller and stupid me we got it figured out before a 727 ran over me.

The worst case of mistaken airport identity I've personally been around was at an Offutt AFB Open House sometime in the '80s. There was supposed to be an SR-71 single-pass flyby at a specified time, but the announcer told the throng that the airplane was on a mission. Turns out that the Blackbird did a flyby at Millard Airport (northwest of Offutt) and kept on going like he knew what he was doing. The newspaper did a story on the goof-up sometime later.

[Robbie Roberts]

During one of the battles in the South Pacific, the Japanese attempted to land on the US carriers at dusk! And more than one B-17 attempted to land at Japanese bases... One getting shot at just before wheels down- and they fired it up and got her out of there like they were shooting at her!

Robbie

[BigGrey]

A cocktail waitress I worked with landed her 152 at George AFB thinking it was Apple Valley on her solo x-country. She thought maybe something was wrong when she was met by uniformed men with guns in jeeps.
After the airmen were totally confused by her explanation they did the right thing and said Apple valley is that way and get out of here.

While I have never landed at the wrong airport, I have buzzed plenty of grain elevators and water towers to find out my location. It is just too easy to lose your place on the road map while flying nap of the earth across the US.

Les

[Bill Greenwood]

Any reports that Ed Owning was flying the jump plane in this incident are totally unverified..
And if you land at the wrong airport in a plane, you can at least take off again unlike a skydiver.

[tom d. friedman]

back in the 60's a most tragic event occured here in ohio over lake erie. a b-25 owner took a group of sky divers out for a jump during a low cloud deck. the errant pilot miscalculated his navs & sent the group diving over lake erie. all perished. the flight originated right here out of the old wakeman airport, the airport isn't even 15 minutes from the lake!!!

[N3Njeff]

Not my incident but it is true.

In upstate NY, Plattsburgh AFB and KPLB are very close proximity, like 3 miles. Anyway one night a FB-111 touched down mistaking PLB for the airbase. The pilot noticed that the runway numbers were counting really fast and imediatly noted that this was not the 19,000 ft runway he was used to. The aircraft ran off the runway and was stopped at the airport perimiter fence. The pilot left the aircraft in search of a payphone where he had to borrow a quarter from a civilian to make the call. When he called the tower and introduced himself, he got a quick and panic responce on the other end. "Not now commander, I have a missing 111" click and hung up the phone.

From then on, all the crewchiefs would tape a quarter to the instrument panel.

[Dudley Henriques]

These days there is a lot of navigation done by electronic whiz gizmo gadgets that sometimes replaces the pilot actually knowing and thinking. It often works, but is not foolproof.
From today's newpaper, sport section: Two skydivers were hired to be the opening act by jumping into the N. Carolina vs McNeese game and delivering the game ball.. After a short weather delay the men landed just fine,the timing was perfect as the teams were lined up for the kickoff. Only problem the jerseys said Duke, and Madison, not N C. The pilot had held overhead, then when the clouds cleared he saw the stadium and the jumpers made a bullseye, give or take about 8 miles.

Back in the stone ages when I was instructing primary students, we had a great little deal going that was good for a laugh or two. The instructors at a field about 100 miles from us used our operation as a solo cross country destination for their students.
They would call us when they sent one our way on a solo cross county and we'd watch for the student entering the pattern.
When we spotted the student, we'd run out and change the airport elevation sign which was in Maryland to read,
"Welcome to Linden N.J....elev 23' "
Man......I DO sometimes miss the "good ole' days" ))

[bdk]

I heard a story about a group of B-25s making an inadvertent pass at TJ Intl. instead of Brown Field during a CAF show. Can anyone confirm?

[fotobass]

In 1967, the crew of a TWA 707 mistook the Ohio State University Airport (also known as Don Scott Field) for Port Columbus International Airport. After shuttling all passengers and baggage to Port Columbus, and removing all galley equipment and seats, the plane was light enough to depart for the larger facility across town.

[maxum96]

I heard a story about a group of B-25s making an inadvertent pass at TJ Intl. instead of Brown Field during a CAF show. Can anyone confirm?

I grew up in San Diego and lived there for my first 35 years. I haven't heard of that one before. But knowing both airports, I wouldn't doubt it. I've also heard stories of people touching down on the old Carlsbad dragstrip because is was directly inline with the approach to Palomar airport.