Almost the worst airline accident in history.

[red750]

An Air Canada flight was ordered to go around when 60 metres from the ground when it was lined up to land on a taxiway with four full airliners holding, at San Francisco Airport. The parallel left runway was not operation and its lighting was switched off,causing the pilot to misidentify the taxiway as a runway. The taxiway is much closer to the runways than normal.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

2 things,

 

The Air Canada pilot saw the lights, questioned it but instead took the word of the tower, the pilot was right, so wtf?

 

Secondly, I didn't even know Harrison Ford was a commercial airline pilot.

 

Air Canada plane nearly lands on a crowded taxiway at San Francisco airport - CNN.com

 

 

[Birdseye]

Did this occur after sunset? The report mentions that 28L lights were off as the runway wasn't in use.

 

 

[Downunder]

Yeah, it was at night.

 

Would the pilots is the waiting aircraft have overheard the inbound pilots query or just made their own calls to tower?

 

I thought they might have been on different radio channels? Taxi vs landing.

 

 

[Birdseye]

Thanks for the confirmation. I could have understood it to some degree if it was daytime.

 

With the exception of a few special purpose taxiways, such as the taxiway that serves as Gatwick's 26L when the main runway is out of use, taxiways don't usually have have approach, edge and PAPI/VASI lighting. Were the crew looking (that is actively looking) out the windscreen?

 

 

[Callahan]

YOU TOOK THE WORDS ROGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH BIRDSEYE!

 

Well said my man! So pilots are going to take the word of a contoller now (previous poster) who are offset to Air Canada's allignment? Maybe I read his statement wrong but the guy in the left seat is supposed to make the decision, not the tower.

 

I'm an old Beech 18, DC-3 and Twotter pilot, been around a while, I always thought taxiway lights were blue.

 

If yoy want to see the ultimate in stupidity, YouTube Air France 447 or the Swissair crash off Nova Scotia, Berginair off Santo Doningo & on & on & on. Needless loss of innocent passengers who became victims..

 

Thanks for the confirmation. I could have understood it to some degree if it was daytime.With the exception of a few special purpose taxiways, such as the taxiway that serves as Gatwick's 26L when the main runway is out of use, taxiways don't usually have have approach, edge and PAPI/VASI lighting. Were the crew looking (that is actively looking) out the windscreen?

[boleropilot]

YOU TOOK THE WORDS ROGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH BIRDSEYE!Well said my man! So pilots are going to take the word of a contoller now (previous poster) who are offset to Air Canada's allignment? Maybe I read his statement wrong but the guy in the left seat is supposed to make the decision, not the tower.

 

I'm an old Beech 18, DC-3 and Twotter pilot, been around a while, I always thought taxiway lights were blue.

 

If yoy want to see the ultimate in stupidity, YouTube Air France 447 or the Swissair crash off Nova Scotia, Berginair off Santo Doningo & on & on & on. Needless loss of innocent passengers who became victims..

hey Callahan, is that a Drifter cockpit on your avatar ?

BP

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

According to an article in flightsafetyaustralia, they decided to go around at 89 ft and got down to 59 ft before they started climbing. According to Wikipedia, one of the aircraft on the taxiway was 55 ft high! (I.e. I looked up the height of one of the aircraft types.) WFT!

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Yeah, it was at night.Would the pilots is the waiting aircraft have overheard the inbound pilot's query or just made their own calls to tower?

 

I thought they might have been on different radio channels? Taxi vs landing.

They are certainly on different channels in the UK AND elsewhere in my experience, as far as pushback and taxying is concerned. This is known as 'Surface Movement Control'. . . . . The only way an aircraft commander would be alerted to this odd kind of collision risk would be if one of his radios was already set to the 'Tower' frequency, and that he, or his first officer heard it. . .. .Unlikely. . . .too busy doing other system checks . . . .

 

Since Dutchroll doesn't seem to post here any more,. . . . we are bereft of his knowledge of such things.. . . .Having flown P2 in cargo ops a few times,. this radio procedure seems to be used at most places that we visited. . . . A Landing aircraft will be talking to the Tower.. . . .A Taxying aircraft will not, until he is handed over to the Tower at the appropriate holding station., told to Change frequency and therefore be aware of what the Feck is going on on That channel. . . .

 

 

[ben87r]

Can't comment on San Fran (or SYD/MEL) but we're not usually handed across to tower here, you would change frequency either reporting ready or at the holding point unless asked to stay with ground, so ild say if the aircraft were intending to depart on that runway one or two could have been with tower.

 

 

[Downunder]

[Phil Perry]

Can't comment on San Fran (or SYD/MEL) but we're not usually handed across to tower here, you would change frequency either reporting ready or at the holding point unless asked to stay with ground, so ild say if the aircraft were intending to depart on that runway one or two could have been with tower.

Thanks Ben, sorry, clumsy writing. I should have said 'Approach'. . .which also handles some departures ( it does here at EGBB - Birmingham ) 'Tower' handover at the hold ( following airways clearance issue ) also used at some smaller provincial airport facilities where traffic density may not be as frenetic as LHR, Gatwick, Manchester etc. ..