Obama's plane gets lost in Iowa

MQAAord

MQAAord

Scheherazade
Staff member
Ooops. Before landing at an airport, be sure it's the right one! There is a difference between CID and DSM!

From CNN:

November 7, 2007
Obama's plane gets lost in Iowa
Sen. Barack Obama eventually made it to a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids — after a detour to Des Moines.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — When Democrat Barack Obama's charter plane touched down Tuesday night, aides were surprised a car wasn't waiting to rush him to that night's campaign events.

Someone stepped onto the tarmac and quickly realized why: They had landed at the wrong airport.

Instead of going to Cedar Rapids, the plane had touched down about 100 miles to the west in Des Moines.

Spokesman Tommy Vietor said Wednesday that the mistake on the flight from Chicago made Obama about an hour late for a rally at a community college. While waiting, the crowd took to dancing and chanting.

The presidential candidate apologized for the delay, simply explaining there had been a mix-up on the way from Chicago.
 
Are you kidding? How did NWA land in Holland instead of Germany? How did Delta land at Tyndall AFB instead of Tampa?
 
There are instances where a jet broke out of the clouds and was lined up with one airport's runway perfectly although it was not the destination. After landing it was realized that it was the wrong airport. This happened to a Northwest A-320 crew in Rapid City when they landed at Ellsworth AFB. There is a lot more behind that event than what meets the eye, too, but that's another story.

Anyway, this clearly wasn't the same since they were 100 miles apart and I almost have to believe that it was a flight plan filed to the "wrong airport" because I just can't see an IFR flight going into an airport that far away. For the pilot's sake I certainly hope this is what happened!

However, also at good 'ole Northwest a DC-10 landed in the wrong country as European controllers mixed up the flight plan, so landing at the wrong airport that is nowhere near the destination is possible if you're flying along fat, dumb, and happy relying on nothing but vectors.
 
I wouldn't be too quick to judge. I'm betting in this case there is more to the story and that the pilots went exactly where they were told to.
 
Nick said:
This happened to a Northwest A-320 crew in Rapid City when they landed at Ellsworth AFB.
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I lined up for right traffic at Ellsworth a few weeks ago. Man, it can happen. The controller was keeping us high for departing traffic and we called the airport in sight. But I called one airport and luckily the captain new the right one. At least I had the localizer tuned in but it really got me. I was shocked and humbled.
 
100 miles west? Sounds like someone told the pilots to go to the incorrect airport.
 
falconvalley said:
100 miles west? Sounds like someone told the pilots to go to the incorrect airport.
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:yeahthat::yeahthat: That was a communications SNAFU, not the pilots fault, IMO. I don't believe it's possible to mistake airports 100NM apart on an IFR flight plan. Controllers would keep you honest on that one (you'd definitely hope, anyways). Somebody didn't tell the crew a switch in the plans, or something. No, it wasn't us, but we have transported Presidential candidates...go figure, to Iowa.
 
Not to mention- when you breif any approach- albeit a visual approach shouldn't you breif the runways etc?

Thats the way Colgan does it. This type of mistake would NOT happen at the airlines.
 
Velocipede said:
Are you kidding? How did NWA land in Holland instead of Germany? How did Delta land at Tyndall AFB instead of Tampa?
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SmitteyB said:
Not to mention- when you breif any approach- albeit a visual approach shouldn't you breif the runways etc?

Thats the way Colgan does it. This type of mistake would NOT happen at the airlines.
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I'm pretty sure it has happened at the airlines!! See above. Also, that wouldn't help too much since the runway layout is almost the same...13-31 and 9-27 at CID and 13-31 and 5-23 at DSM FWIW. Now, always backing up the visual with the approaches would help dramatically. However, as stated before, I think the fact they were 90NM apart would prevent this more than anything.
 
SmitteyB said:
Not to mention- when you breif any approach- albeit a visual approach shouldn't you breif the runways etc?

Thats the way Colgan does it. This type of mistake would NOT happen at the airlines.
Click to expand...


might want to check with a certain NWA A319 crew. It can and does happen.


So much for your theory ;)

a few others:
* August 16, 2006 - A Turkish Sky Airlines 737 bound for Poznan, Poland mistakenly lands at Krzesiny, a military airfield. Link.

* March 29, 2006 - A Eirjet A320 bound for Derry, Northern Ireland mistakenly lands at Ballykelly, a military airfield. Link.

* December 16, 2005 - A Pakistan International Airlines 737 bound for Karachi, Pakistan mistakenly lands at Faisal, a military airfield. Link.

* September 5, 2005 - A Wings Air MD-80 bound for Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, Indonesia mistakenly lands at Tabing Airport, a military airfield. Link.

* January 9, 2004 - A Shuttle America Saab 340 bound for University Park Airport in State College, Pennsylvania mistakenly lands at Mid-State Regional Airport in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Link.

* January 22, 2003 - A Chatauqua Airlines Embraer 145, chartered by the University of Notre Dame basketball team and bound for South Bend, Indiana, mistakenly lands at Elkhart Municipal Airport. See Tom Coyne, "Irish land at wrong airport because of pilot mistake," Associated Press, January 24, 2003.

* July 30, 2002 - A LOT Polish Airlines aircraft, bound for Kaliningrad, Russia, mistakenly lands at Chkalovsk, an abandoned military airfield. Link.

* June 27, 2001 - A TAM Fokker 100, bound for Teresina, Brazil, mistakenly lands at Timon. See "Brazilian pilot mistakes private airstrip for urban airport," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 27, 2001.

* March 14, 2001 - A TWA MD-80, bound for Yampa Valley Airport in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, mistakenly lands at Craig-Moffat Airport. Link.

* December 8, 2000 - A BAX Global DC-8, bound for Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan, mistakenly lands at Iosco County Airport in East Tawas. Link.

* June 17, 2000 - An Air Nova Dash 8, bound for Mont Joli, Quebec, mistakenly lands at Rimouski. See "Pilots land at wrong airport," The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), June 20, 2000.

* June 22, 1999 - An Avensa 727, bound for Latacunga Airport in Ambato, Venezuela, mistakenly lands at Izamva Airport. (According to some reports, the pilot did not complete the landing but did make contact with the ground.) See "Pilot Attempts Wrong Airport Landing," Associated Press, June 24, 1999.

* July 16, 1997 - A Continental Express Embraer 120, bound for Lake Charles, Louisiana, mistakenly lands at Southland Field in Carlyss. See T.J. Milling, "A familiar landmark? Another Continental plane sets down at same, wrong airport," Houston Chronicle, July 19, 1997.

* June 2, 1997 - A Saudi Arabian Airlines 747, bound for Madras International Airport in Chennai, India, mistakenly lands at Tambaram Air Force Base. Link.

* May 11, 1997 - A Continental Airlines 737, bound for Corpus Christi, Texas, mistakenly lands at Cabaniss Field, an abandoned Navy airfield. Link.

* March 27, 1997 - A Sun Pacific International Airlines aircraft, chartered by the Arkansas Razorbacks and bound for Fayetteville, Arkansas, mistakenly lands at Springdale. Link.

* December 24, 1996 - An Atlas Air 747 bound for Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona mistakenly lands at Avra Valley Airport. Link.

* October 15, 1996 - A Nations Air 737, bound for Orlando, Florida, mistakenly lands at Sanford Airport. See "Airline's inaugural flight lands at wrong airport in Orlando," Tampa Tribune, October 16, 1996.

* October 3, 1996 - A Continental Express aircraft, bound for Lake Charles, Louisiana, mistakenly lands at Southland Field in Carlyss. Link.

* October 17, 1995 - An aircraft chartered on behalf of the White House press corps, bound for Kelly Air Force Base in Texas, mistakenly lands at San Antonio International Airport. See "Press plane lands at wrong airport," United Press International, October 17, 1995.

* September 5, 1995 - A Northwest Airlines DC-10, bound for Frankfurt, Germany, mistakenly landed in Brussels, Belgium, approximately 200 miles off course. (In this case, air traffic control has been blamed for providing incorrect flight plan data to the pilots.) See Don Phillips, "U.S. Jet Bound for Germany Mistakenly Lands in Belgium," Washington Post, October 1, 1995.

* March 21, 1995 - A Great China Airlines Dash-8, bound for Taipei, Taiwan, mistakenly lands at Penghu Island. (In this case, the airline has been blamed for providing incorrect instructions to the pilot.) See "Misinformed Pilot Lands at Wrong Airport," Associated Press, March 22, 1995.

* December 21, 1994 - A United Airlines 757, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico, mistakenly lands at Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport (a/k/a Isla Grande Airport). Link. See also "FAA Investigating Landing of United 757 at Wrong Airport," Aviation Daily, December 24, 1994.

* May 5, 1993 - A Jet Airways 737, bound for Coimbatore, India, mistakenly lands at Sulur Air Force Base. Link. See also "You have arrived at err..." The Advertiser, May 6, 1993.

* March 28, 1991 - An Emerald Airlines 727, bound for Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, mistakenly lands at Wausau Municipal Airport. See Robert Imrie, "Pilot, Co-Pilot of 727 That Landed at Wrong Airport Suspended," Associated Press, May 7, 1991.

* November 24, 1990 - A Wings West Fairchild Metro, bound for San Luis Obispo, California, mistakenly lands at Santa Maria Airport. See David Dietz, "Bay Airliner's Landing at Wrong City Probed: Plane Missed Destination By 36 Miles," San Francisco Chronicle, November 27, 1990.

* November 8, 1990 - A Continental Express ATR-42, bound for Jackson, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Hawkins Field. See "National Digest," St. Petersburg Times, November 10, 1990.

* March 2, 1989 - A Dan Air BAe 748, bound for Aldergrove Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland, mistakenly lands at Langford Lodge Airport. See "Flight ends at wrong destination," Independent, March 3, 1989.

* September 17, 1988 - A Canadian Airlines 737, bound for Cambridge Bay, Northwest Territories, mistakenly lands at Churchill, Manitoba. (According to some reports, the pilots mis-applied the magnetic variation factor from true north necessary for navigation in high latitudes.) See "Canadian jetliner flew 750 miles off course," Miami Herald, September 25, 1988.

* January 21, 1988 - A Piedmont Airlines F-28, bound for Wilmington, North Carolina, mistakenly lands at Albert J. Ellis Airport in Jacksonville. See "Piedmont Jet Lands at Jacksonville Instead of Wilmington," Associated Press, January 23, 1988.

* July 7, 1987 - A Delta Air Lines 737, bound for Lexington, Kentucky, mistakenly lands at Capital City Airport in Frankfort. Link.

* November 3, 1986 - An Air France 727, bound for Eliat, Israel, mistakenly lands at Aqaba Airport in Jordan. See "Sorry, Wrong Airport," Associated Press, November 3, 1986.

* February 3, 1986 - A Piedmont Airlines 737, bound for Bush Field in Augusta, Georgia, mistakenly lands at Daniel Field. See "Piedmont Airlines Flight Lands at Wrong Airport in Augusta," Associated Press, February 4, 1986.

* 1982 - An Aero Airways DC-8, bound for Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York, mistakenly lands at Dutchess County Airport. See Edward Hudson, "Jets Mistake Tiny Airport for Another," New York Times, October 13, 1985. (I have not been able to determine the exact date of this incident, but the report appears to be reliable.)

* October 23, 1980 - A Republic Airlines Convair 580 bound for Golden Triangle Municipal Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Columbus-Lowndes County Airport. See "FAA Investigating Errant Landing," Associated Press, November 14, 1980.

* July 14, 1980 - A Delta Air Lines 727, bound for Miami, mistakenly lands at Fort Lauderdale. (In this case, air traffic control has been blamed for providing incorrect flight plan data to the pilots.) See "Controller Reprimanded in Wrong Airport Landing," Associated Press, July 25, 1980.

* June 20, 1980 - A Delta Air Lines 727, bound for Tampa, Florida, mistakenly lands at MacDill Air Force Base. See Tom Zucco, "The Official Tampa Bay Map of the Weird," St. Petersburg Times, October 18, 1991.

* March 1, 1980 - A Republic Airlines DC-9 bound for Golden Triangle Municipal Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, mistakenly lands at Starkville Municipal Airport. See "FAA Investigating Errant Landing," Associated Press, November 14, 1980.

* July 31, 1979 - A Western Airlines 737, bound for Sheridan, Wyoming, mistakenly lands at Buffalo. See David Bird and Albin Krebs, "Wyoming Town Fondly Remembers a Mistake," New York Times, July 7, 1981. (Buffalo subsequently honored the pilot with a "Lowell Ferguson Days" celebration.)

* April 22, 1978 - A Maverick Air aircraft, bound for Tel Aviv, Israel mistakenly lands at Beirut, Lebanon. See "Cargo Pilot Finds Wrong Airport," Washington Post, April 24, 1978.

* March 24, 1977 - A Pan Am 707, bound for Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mistakenly lands at San Isidro Air Force Base. See "Wrong Airport," Aviation Week and Space Technology, April 4, 1977.

* August 11, 1976 - An Iraqi Airways 747, bound for Orly Airport in Paris, France, mistakenly lands at Le Bourget Airport. See "Right City, Wrong Airport," New York Times, August 12, 1976.

* December 4, 1974 - A Frontier Airlines 737, bound for Salt Lake International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah, mistakenly lands at Salt Lake Airport No. 2. See "Jet Lands at Wrong Field," New York Times, December 4, 1974.

* June 10, 1973 - A United Airlines 727, bound for Miami, mistakenly lands at Opa Locka. Link.

* September 24, 1972 - A Japan Airlines DC-8, bound for Bombay, India mistakenly lands at Juhu. Link.

* July 4, 1967 - A TWA 707, bound for Columbus, Ohio, mistakenly lands at Don Scott Field at Ohio State University. Link. See also Bob Thomas, "Columbus Recollections: From Stunt to Kangaroo, Aviation Has Rich History," Columbus Dispatch, January 5, 1997.

* May 31, 1967 - A Spantax CV990, bound bound for Hamburg Fuhlsbuttel Airport, mistakenly lands at Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport. See "Personalien Rodolfo Bay Wright," Sueddeutsche Zeitung (October 4, 2000).

* May 2, 1966 - A LOT Polish Airlines aircraft, bound for Linate Airport in Milan, Italy, mistakenly lands at Malpensa Airport. See "Airliner Lands at Wrong Field," New York Times, May 3, 1966.

* August 12, 1962 - A United Airlines DC-8, bound for Portland, Oregon, mistakenly lands at Troutdale. See "Jet Lands on Short Runway at Wrong Oregon Airport," New York Times, August 13, 1962.

* October 25, 1960 - A Pan Am 707, bound for Heathrow Airport in London, England, mistakenly lands at RAF Northolt. See "Taxis fit for war veterans," Daily Mail, January 18, 1995.

* July 27, 1960 - A Pan Am 707, bound for Dorval Airport in Montreal, Quebec, mistakenly lands at Cartierville. See "Jet Lands Safely at Wrong Airport," New York Times, July 28, 1960.

* March 3, 1960 - A Capital Airlines DC-3, bound for Willow Run Airport in Detroit, Michigan, mistakenly lands at Muskegon County Airport. See "F.A.A. Suspends Pilot," New York Times, March 4, 1960.

* July 15, 1953 - A BOAC Comet, bound for Santa Cruz Airport in Bombay, India, mistakenly lands at Juhu. See "British Comet Off Safely From Small Bombay Field," New York Times, July 25, 1953.

* March 25, 1950 - A Greek four-engined aircraft, bound for Northolt Airport in London, England, mistakenly lands at Hendon Field. See "Perfect Landing, Wrong Airport," New York Times, March 25, 1950. (The aircraft may have been a C-47 operated by Hellenic Airlines, but I have not been able to confirm this information.)
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SmitteyB said:
Not to mention- when you breif any approach- albeit a visual approach shouldn't you breif the runways etc?

Thats the way Colgan does it. This type of mistake would NOT happen at the airlines.
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I hope that was complete and utter :sarcasm:. So you're telling me that Colgan is better than any given major airline that has ever landed at the wrong airport?

Face it, mistakes happen regardless of the operator. Do your credibility a favor and don't go out on a limb and say that only charter operators make mistakes like these. Like has been mentioned already, its pretty obvious that the flight crew COULD HAVE BEEN dispatched to the wrong airport to begin with.
 
taseal said:
wow.... how do you do that?

and I got bitched at for putting a wrong radial lol
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Oh hell, it's easy. I did a spanky visual approach towards Offutt AFB when flying MCI-OMA until I realized that OMA didn't have a 747 and was missing some runways.

It happens very often because we're used to dealing with the IFR world or vectors and getting onto the localizer before being cut off for the visual approach.

Lots of folks call the wrong airport and if the other pilot doesn't catch the error (or is a wuss and doesn't speak up), it can happen!

There are also a number that occurred that are not on JEP's list! In my two year tenure at Skyway, I think we may have had two.
 
Someone's going to get hazed big time when he get back to the hangar!

But while it's embarrassing to be sure, nobody got hurt and Obama got where he needed to in the end.
 
tonyw said:
Someone's going to get hazed big time when he get back to the hangar!

But while it's embarrassing to be sure, nobody got hurt and Obama got where he needed to in the end.
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And his campaign committee learned that the charter company also needs to be kept in the loop on changes to the schedule...
 
tonyw said:
Someone's going to get hazed big time when he get back to the hangar!

But while it's embarrassing to be sure, nobody got hurt and Obama got where he needed to in the end.
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What's embarrassing? Do you know something we don't?
 
EatSleepFly said:
What's embarrassing? Do you know something we don't?
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Landing at the wrong airport would be embarrassing. But like I said, nobody got hurt, and the passengers got where they needed to get in the end so it's not the end of the world.

I've done something similar. I was told to fly a left base for runway x and I flew a perfect left base for runway y. Fortunately for me, either runway was available for me to use so it wasn't a big deal but it was very embarrassing.
 
Tony, I think the point is the pilots may have landed where they were told, but by scehduling it happens to be the "wrong airport".

We need to WAIT UNTil the FBI, FDA and NTSB get done with this one!!
 
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