Plane missed jets by 100 feet before anyone noticed
SAN FRANCISCO » A wayward Air Canada pilot did not abort his landing last week until his plane had already overflown an SFO taxiway for a quarter mile, passing a mere 100 feet above the first two of four fully loaded passenger jets awaiting departure, according to preliminary data from Ca- nadian investigators released Thursday.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada noted in a preliminary summary that Air Canada flight 759 — which had infamously lined up with Taxiway C on approach instead of Runway 28R — roared over the first two planes on the ground by 100 feet, the second by 200 feet and the last by 300 feet.
The report also found that the SFO air traffic controller handling the approach — which one aviation expert said was the only one in the tower handling ground and tower frequencies at 11:56 p.m. Friday — was busy with other activities when another flight crew on the ground alerted the tower of the errant plane.
“The controller was coordinat-
ing with another facility when a flight crew member from another airline taxiing on Taxiway C queried (the air traffic controller) as to where (the Air Canada flight) was going, then stated that ACA759 appeared to be lined up with Taxiway C which parallels Runway 28R,” the Canadian summary states.
Mountain View pilot Max Trescott, who operates an aviation blog, said the data shows just how close the planes were: Shorter than a throw from home plate to second base, or the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool — by 64 feet.
“Being a quarter mile down the taxiway before initiating a go-around and passing just 100 feet over the first airliner indicates that this go- around was initiated much later than a typical go-around by a large aircraft,” he said.
Retired United Airlines pilot Ross Aimer was shocked at the findings.
“WOW, that is extremely close!” he wrote in an email. “I would like the FAA, NTSB and Transport Canada to look into the ‘pilot fatigue issue’ very closely! Fatigue is a silent killer in aviation and other modes of transportation, but often ignored. I would also like to know about controller staffing at our (air traffic control) towers. Are we endangering the public to save a few bucks?”
A Canadian Transportation Safety Board spokesman stressed its data was preliminary and subject to change, and referred follow- up questions to the NTSB which is investigat- ing the incident, along with the FAA.
FAA and NTSB officials declined to comment on their ongoing investigations Thursday.
“The NTSB has an ongoing investigation as well and will provide information from its investigation as it becomes available,” NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said.
The Canadian data also show that the Air Canada pilot inquired about seeing lights on the runway (he was actually looking at the taxiway) when he was .6 miles from the runway threshold. The plane had already flown a quarter mile over the taxiway, the report found, when the other flight crew member in a plane on the ground alerted the tower and Air Canada pilot: “Where’s this guy going? He’s on the taxiway.”
It was only then that the tower ordered a “goaround,” and the Air Canada pilot pulled the plane up and aborted the landing. Aviation experts have called the incident “extremely close,” and narrowly avoiding one of the worst aviation disasters ever.
Go-arounds happen fairly regularly at airports, but not usually in such extreme circumstances or close proximity to other aircraft. On Wednesday, two United Airlines planes landing at SFO were forced to abort their approach. One resulted from a Southwest Airlines plane exiting the runway slower than anticipated, while the second happened when the plane came in too high, according to the FAA. The agency called both “routine.”