Boeing Dreamliner in Kansas

Einstein376

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Jim K.
The morning news ran a quick story about a Dreamliner landing at the wrong airport. Seems the runway is about 3000 feet too short to allow them to take off. Seems they were 9 miles off course and landed on the wrong 19.

That's a great short field landing, but still a bad flying day.
 
They're 3000 feet short if they're at gross weight which is highly unlikely. Jabara, Beech, and McConnell AFB are all more or less in line with runway headings within 10 degrees of each other.
 
Well, at least he didn't put it down at Westport.:yikes:
 
So crazy with gps and all the instruments they have plus atc they talk to doesn't anybody say anything? Hellooooo
 
Just to clarify, it is a Dreamlifter not a Dreamliner. The Dreamlifter is a modified 747 designed to carry fuselage parts of the 787.
 
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Career-limiting move, there.
 
Didn't this happen to a big Air Force Cargo jet recently? Intention was to land at a nearby base, but put down at a GA airport instead?
 
Give it just enough fuel to make it to McConnell safely and they'll be able to get out of there. Any cargo will have to be left behind.
 
I did get a kick out of this part
But there was a hitch: When fully loaded, the Dreamlifter needs a runway 9,199 feet long to take off, reports affiliate KWCH. The Jabara runway is 6,101 feet.

And what is it unloaded? Is the plane even fully loaded?
 
Career-limiting move, there.

I would agree. So many things wrong here. Reports in with the tower that he's on the GPS RNAV 19L on which he should have overflown Jabarra somewhere between 3,000 & 4,000' yet managed to land there. Must have been a hell of a descent to get down and on the runway.
 
first they have to get this beast turned around for a departure
 
With the winds I've been seeing lately in the midwest, if the runway is into the prevailing wind, they gain a lot of lift right there.
 
Probably were flying visually; but they had a good visual clue, as you have to overfly all the city lights (the area depicted in yellow is the shape of the city lights at night) before you get to McConnell... they landed at Jabara, which is BEFORE the city lights. Stupid mistake.

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It's definitely not a good thing to land at the wrong airport and there are many tricks to avoid doing it. Unfortunately, looking at the sectional is one of them. Airlines don't carry them.

As for ending their careers, there's programs in place to avoid get fired. They will never live down the stigma though. The hotel bar can be a cruel place.
 
No cargo and minimal fuel. 6,000 foot runway. No problem.
 
As for ending their careers, there's programs in place to avoid get fired. They will never live down the stigma though. The hotel bar can be a cruel place.

can you say ASAP report?
 
A bunch of airfields close together there, with runways more or less pointing the same direction.

You wouldn't know this, though, if you only look at the approach plates for KIAB. They don't show the other airfields or mention them.
 
With the winds I've been seeing lately in the midwest, if the runway is into the prevailing wind, they gain a lot of lift right there.

That could help. Here's the TAF for mid-day today:

[FONT=Monospace,Courier]BECMG 2116/2117 01015G25KT 9000 -DZ BKN015 OVC030 510106 QNH3000INS
BECMG 2118/2119 01015G25KT 8000 -SHRA BKN010 OVC030 510009 QNH3005INS
[/FONT]
 
The audio is chilling, when they hear a twin turboprop go around over them!! So much for "deer on the runway, go around!"
 
Did they not have charts on board? Listening to the audio, they had to ask for EVERYTHING... frequencies, identifier for Jabara (even after they knew where they were), etc.
 
Do you mean NASA report? But yes, they should do that ASAP. :rofl:

"ASAP" is the in-house safety self-report safety system that most airlines operate. "Aviation Safety Action Program.

Works just like ASRS, but operated in-house by the carrier. I had a neighbor who ran that for a while for a large airline based in Dallas.
 
Didn't this happen to a big Air Force Cargo jet recently? Intention was to land at a nearby base, but put down at a GA airport instead?

C-17 last year landed at Peter O' Knight instead of Macdill AFB. Similar to the strory here. Runways lined up in approach path and both similar configurations.
 
Best post, on Facebook, from Rob Finfrock on this event: "I would also imagine there are a few unemployed, former Evergreen pilots laughing through their tears right now."

(Evergreen lost the Dreamliner contract to Atlas, after flying it for some time).
 
"ASAP" is the in-house safety self-report safety system that most airlines operate. "Aviation Safety Action Program.

Works just like ASRS, but operated in-house by the carrier. I had a neighbor who ran that for a while for a large airline based in Dallas.

Aha!! Thanks Spike!! Yeah, reading their report to the Chief Pilot would be ... entertaining. Gotta feel for them. Could happen to anyone.
 
Weight limit for the runway at Jabara is D-62, which I think means 62,000 pounds for a double-axle airliner. The Dreamlifter is lots heavier than that -- 398,000 pounds empty.

Interesting that the City of Wichita announced that no damage was done to the airport.
 
Weight limit for the runway at Jabara is D-62, which I think means 62,000 pounds for a double-axle airliner. The Dreamlifter is lots heavier than that -- 398,000 pounds empty.

Interesting that the City of Wichita announced that no damage was done to the airport.

A few landings over the weight limit generally won't do any damage to the runway. Repeated ones however...
 
Weight limit for the runway at Jabara is D-62, which I think means 62,000 pounds for a double-axle airliner. [/URL].

D is dual wheels on one axle. Think 737. DT is dual tandem, which is two axles, 4 wheels, or some such permutation.
 
Probably were flying visually; but they had a good visual clue, as you have to overfly all the city lights (the area depicted in yellow is the shape of the city lights at night) before you get to McConnell... they landed at Jabara, which is BEFORE the city lights. Stupid mistake.

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When was the last time you saw a sectional in a plane like that?
 
Would be worth the price of admission to watch that take off. Do you think the same crew will do the repositioning?
 
Would be worth the price of admission to watch that take off. Do you think the same crew will do the repositioning?

I'm sure CNN and other TV news channels will cover this live
 
Would be worth the price of admission to watch that take off. Do you think the same crew will do the repositioning?

Read in a story somewhere that a new flight crew was coming in to relocate the plane. DOH!
 
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