Airliner nearly lands on other planes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The pilot of an Air Canada plane carrying 140 passengers made a lastminute maneuver to avoid landing on a taxiway at San Francisco International Airport where four passenger jets were lined up to take off.
Federal officials said Tuesday they are investigating why the pilot mistakenly made his approach toward the taxiway instead of the runway just to the left. An air traffic controller ordered the Airbus 320 to abort and circle for another landing, which it did without incident Friday night.
Aviation-safety consultant Todd Curtis said it was “definitely a serious event since a landing on an active taxiway could lead to a catastrophic accident.”
In audio posted on liveatc.net, which records flight communications, the pilot on the plane from Toronto and the air traffic controller sounded calm as the close call unfolded.
At first, the pilot said he sees “some lights on the runway,” apparently alluding to planes on the taxiway, the aviation equivalent of feeder roads that planes use to roll between runways and terminals.
The controller assures the pilot there is no one on the runway. Seconds later, another voice – apparently one of the pilots on the taxiway – interjects, “Where’s this guy going? He’s on the taxiway.”
The controller orders the Air Canada jet to “go around,” and the pilot acknowledges the command.
Roughly 30 seconds later, a United Airlines pilot on the taxiway says the jet “flew directly over us.”
Federal Administration spokesman Ian Gregor would not comment on how close Air Canada Flight 759 came to disaster, citing his agency’s ongoing investigation. Aviation
The National Transportation Safety Board also will review what happened.
“Any time you have an incident where there’s a potential for a catastrophic event, we take an interest,” spokesman Keith Holloway said.
It is rare for pilots to mistake a taxiway for a runway, and when it happens, it usually involves small planes at smaller airports. Taxiways do not have the same distinctive markings and lighting as runways.
Earlier this year, actor Harrison Ford flew over an airliner and landed his small plane on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport in Southern California. The FAA did not sanction Ford.
Collisions on the ground are particularly dangerous because planes waiting to take off are loaded with fuel. The worst crash in aviation history occurred in 1977 when a KLM Boeing 747 taking off in the Canary Islands plowed into a Pan Am 747 that was waiting to take off; 583 people died in the crash and fires.
In December 2015, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 landed on a central taxiway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. No one was injured.