Ooops!

[olyinaz]

C17 lands at wrong airport:

http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/ ... ar-437276/

Hey, it happens from time to time and there's no sense second guessing anyone. I'm just amazed that it landed without issue on the 3400 ft. runway. (Perhaps it was empty? I guess the C17 is a short field specialist after all!)

Oly

[RIHMFIRE]

practice for something else??????

cant believe it was.....a mistake

[Cliff]

They did mention after the plane flew out to McDill, that several Airforce Security Vehicles came into the air port and off loaded some material. No one knew (Reporting) what it was or why it was taken away. Interesting day for the pilot I am sure. I live a couple of miles from a small air port here in Florida. It was a WWII training base for P-38's after the war was turned over to the state. They always have current big aircraft coming in for touch and goes. I will say the C-17 going over my house and neighborhoord sure woke up a lot of dogs and cats. Nice to see them. Not to mention the WWII aircraft coming in during the air shows over in Lakeland, Florida. There are a whole bunch of unused and reduce use airports all over Florida which were built to train pilots in WWII. Many are unused and a lot of towns and such have adapted them to their needs. However the fields remain the U.S. Govt. property and they retain the rights to use them when needed. The local fire departmetns also train for air craft fires and such as well. Interesting things.

[wecsoger]

I'm sure it was, but it will be a career ender for the pilot in charge and a lot of retraining/re-certification for rest of the crew on the flight deck.

So saying, both runways are the same orientation 04/22 and are almost in line with each other. I'm guessing they were making an approach from the east the the smaller one, per Google earth is 5.58 miles closer.

I can imagine all those factors, added to that a fatigued flight crew and I could see this happening.

Still a major, major screw up. And a disaster had their been some little bugsmasher, say a student/instructor or a corporate jet on the runway.

I've been up front for the heavies on approaches and departures. When you're thirty miles out and hurtling toward your airport at 130 knots, it's hard to pick out your own personal piece of concrete. Add to that, the congested nature of that area.

Regardless, the nav gear or even one of the flight crew should have recognized at the last moment they were in the wrong spot and they should have initiated a go-around to get a clue.

Sure will be a fun voice recorder to listen to!

[jeepnik]

Many moons ago the air base I was at had a runway 23. A general aviation airport a short distance away had a runway 23. It got rather interesting when a little Cessna or Piper was talking to the tower at the general aviation airport while lining up for the runway at the air base. You'd think the Phantoms and Thuds in the pattern would be a clue.

Then there was the sailplaine out of El Mirage that landed unannounced. I almost ran over it with my big red truck before I saw it. Reported as an "unknown fighter" NORDO (no radio), instead of unknown "GLIDER".

[Blaine]

At an AirShow at McChord AFB (Arrrgh, I can't bring myself to call it "Joint Base Lewis/McChord ) they demonstrated the short takeoff/landing abilities of the C-17....Not quite STOL, but dang close. Almost any strip of dirt can take those things. Heck, reverse thrust can make it back up at a rapid clip...

[Paladin]

I thought the C-17s were so heavy they were restricted to some of the more “reinforced” runways. Even in Iraq only so many were allowed to land on the paved runways we were using before they closed it to all heavies.

[olyinaz]

The runway was almost certainly not rated for the C17s weight, but once it's there it's got to get back out if possible. Best option was probably to unload it and blast off/get the heck out of Dodge.

Oly

[jeepnik]

The runway was almost certainly not rated for the C17s weight, but once it's there it's got to get back out if possible. Best option was probably to unload it and blast off/get the heck out of Dodge.

Oly

Seems to me, there were stories of a B-52 that landed on a short runway, way back when. They ended stripping it, and loading just enough fuel to take of and get a mid air refuel. They made it out, but not by much. Don't know if it was true, or just an Air Force urban legend.

I do know that there is a reason the wings on a B-52 move up and down when they take off. It's because they'd never get off the ground if they didn't flap their wings. Oh wait a minute, that's a taunt that old TAC troops would tell SAC troops in the NCO club.

[Canuck Bob]

I saw a documentary of the last Lufthansa Concorde being ferried to a rural aircraft museum in Germany. The pilot landed that beast on what looked like a short hay field with the incredible cloud of dust it had to be dirt! All the engineers and builders screamed it was not possible. The pilot assured them he could do it and they sure did trust his opinion. He was a hot stick!

My favourite hot stick story was during the Gulf War. I think the A-10 Warthog is the ultimate close support meat grinder, a real heavy armoured flying gatling gun. There was a cable story about a unit in the Gulf. They asked a bunch of pilots who was their best pilot. They named a woman, I forget her name or call name. She lost all computer fly by wire control and apparently the manual says eject because it is not controllable. She told them she could land it manually and did. According to the show she was the only person to land one and walk away with no scratches on her or the plane. They interviewed her and her plane was plastered with tiny tank pictures.

I fly an ultralight, Canadian rules are different mine is about the same as a Cub for performance, and I get nervous around big iron vortices like a Cessna 182! The tip tornados on that beast would be terrifying once they went full emergency STOL! I sure hope the commander can produce a faulty warning light to plead a case, he or she sure can handle an emergency landing!

[Blaine]

This is what I saw at the Air Show at JBLM..... That's pretty "STOL" in my not professional opinion. Doesn't even have to be turned around to take off again...."Stuff" and Git...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhyXt35XAzE