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Alaska Airlines pilot mistakes taxiway for runway at Sea-Tac
An Alaska Airlines passenger jet landed on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s central taxiway – not the runway – on Dec. 19, the fourth time a pilot has made the error in the history of the airport. (www.bizjournals.com) 更多...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
If it's happened FOUR times, it may be a design fault with the airport. Four parallel strips of pavement 16L, 16C, Tango, 16R.
Years ago when visiting a pilot friend in the Camden, NJ area we flew out to Atlantic City and I talked him into trying his first ASR approach. The vectors just happened to line us up on the parallel taxiway. He had heard about PAR approaches and on final I had to explain the difference between PAR and ASR accuracy. He was skeptical at first as the controller seemed to be directing him to the taxiway. Eventually he did make our landing on the runway.
Part of the problem is that the runways at SeaTac are unequally spaced apart with 16C being only 800’ west of 16L while 16R is about 1500’ west of 16C. As a result taxiway Tango is just about dead-center between 16L and 16R. This still isn’t an excuse as any Alaska Airlines pilot should be well familiar with the airport given it’s their home base. But you can see how the mistake can happen, especially when 16C has been closed for most of the year.
I've been flying since 1960. No equipment as exotic as described in the posts, but many years of 135 and 91 flying. Lots of serious backcountry as well as cross country. All as a contract pilot. The main thing I've learned is not to judge the errors of other pilots. As all the comments will attest, the pilot, while having ultimate authority/responsibility, can become confused to varying degrees. And in the cockpit, the need to multitask and sort out the situation can become huge. Those of us who have flown for more than a few years, are still flying because we have survived our mistakes, and hopefully learned from them.
In a multiple runway environment, does ego increase to the point no one believes there's safety in setting up the ILS or GPS?
The only luck here is there was no aircraft on that taxiway. Or, we'd have a very different story.
The only luck here is there was no aircraft on that taxiway. Or, we'd have a very different story.
Just about got to rotate speed on a taxiway at KMEM. Only had 100 hours, first time in KMEM and only second week of flying a Seminole after getting my MEI. I was to cross one run way THEN a taxiway to the next runway for a taxi departure. I turned right too soon. ATC just walked me slowly to the other side of the airport (Fedex push was starting) and let me take off in the dark in shame. Filed a report with NASA and life went on. Certainly thankful for those guys that night.