A Boeing Dreamlifter landed at the wrong airport in Kansas:

[Are_grits_groceries]

A Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter sits on the runway after accidentally landing at Jabara airport in Wichita, Kansas Wednesday night Nov. 20, 2013 thinking it was landing at McConnell Air Force Base.

WICHITA, Kan. — A Boeing 747 jumbo jet mistakenly landed at a small Kansas airport not far from the Air Force base where it was supposed to land to deliver parts for the company’s famed new 787 Dreamliner.

The 747 landed Wednesday evening at Col. James Jabara Airport, about 8 miles north of its intended target, the McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. Jabara’s runway is just 6,101 feet long, much shorter than is ideal for an aircraft of that size.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/boeing-jumbo-jet-hauling-dreamliner-parts-lands-at-wrong-kansas-airport/2013/11/21/10f1bf84-52aa-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html

Surprise!

[dlwickham]

1. oop

[Blue_Tires]

2. Not to pick nits, but

The "Dreamliner" is the new 787 for passengers...

The "Dreamlifter" is actually a heavily modified 747 for heavy cargo purposes....

[BlueToTheBone]

8. Thanks. My mind read it as Dreamliner also

Glad for the clarification.

[Boom Sound 416]

3. Tower to Captain

"Uh, you still ARE in Kansas...anymore"

[HooptieWagon]

4. It happens in Tampa on occassion.

Just north (about 2 mi) of MacDill AFB is Peter O'Knight Airport, a small civilian airport whose runways are aligned the same as MacDill's. Every once in a while a huge military transport confuses the two and lands at Peter O'Knight. The runway is very short, and the transports' wings actually hang over the fence. Not to mention the residents crap their pants at the noise. I'm not sure if the flight crews get court-martialed or what happens. At the very least its a serious black eye on their record. The transports have to unload there, and remove all extra fuel in order to shed enough weight to be able to take off, even then it takes some pretty fancy flying.

[Blue_Tires]

14. +1

It actually happens much more often than we'd think in area where two different airfields have runways with the same alignment...

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/5927195/

[Wounded Bear]

16. Runways are often aligned based on prevailing wind patterns...

and local geography. I'm sure there are quite a few places where runways align in this fashion.

Aircrews are supposed to be able to read maps, though. And there's this thing called "GPS" which I believe is legal to use in other than a new Escalade.

Sure, it happens, but it's still kind of embarrassing.

[Blue_Tires]

38. This person compiled a pretty interesting list....

http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. Ummm....that happened ONCE at O'Knight airport, not "every once in a while"

It was a C-17 Globemaster and it happened July 20, 2012. Here's the only video (I am pretty sure) of it landing.

Here's the takeoff;

[HooptieWagon]

27. And several times with C130s

Which are also much too big for the runway.

[A HERETIC I AM]

30. Not according the the Wikipedia page on the airport....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_O._Knight_Airport

I could find only one instance of a C-130 at Knight;

The video shows an upload date of Feb 7, 2011, though no info in the description as to when it happened.

I'm betting that Herc landing was intentional, but I could be wrong.


As far as how much runway they take, it is MUCH less than a C-17 requires.
C-17 max weight takeoff distance = 6700'
C-130 max weight takeoff distance = 3600'

I apologize for the tone I may have taken. I don't mean to be argumentative. I am just an airplane enthusiast and this sort of thing fascinates me.

[HooptieWagon]

31. I was a member of a sailing club next door...

...to the airport for 20 years. I know first hand there were at least two C-130 landings, and heard about a couple more touch and goes. And there was an unidentified touch and go several years ago, believed to be a C-17, but it was at night so no positive ID. Peter O Knight is directly on the approach to MacDill and looks similar, just smaller. Also, its on the south end of Davis Islands, and MacDill is on the south end of Interbay Penninsula...both stick out into the bay. Its easy to see how a mistake could be made, the surprise is that it isn't made more often.

BTW, the 3600' you cite for a C-130 is about 200' longer than the runway. The airport is used for single and twin engine prop planes, and small corporate jets. Theres no reason for any cargo plane, military or civilian, to land there because there are no cargo facilities. Biggest planes I've seen intentionally land and take off there are a B-17 and B-24, for a weekend exhibition.

[A HERETIC I AM]

32. Fair enough.

I am familiar with the geography of that area and the layout of both airports, as I have been through there many times.

I defer to your first hand knowledge, however.

Look at a sat shot of the East side of Wichita. There are 3 airports in that general vicinity, more or less in line, northeast to southwest and all of them having runways at roughly the same compass heading.

http://goo.gl/maps/8GRlg

Jabara airport is the one furthest north.

[Historic NY]

29. Thats called a "full war emergency power" WEP Take off.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

33. Thanks for posting that

Absolutely incredible! I'm glad the guy who filmed it was as quick as he was to whip his camera out.

[seveneyes]

5. Sure beats augering a hole where it's not needed

I'm sure they will need to unload that 747 before it tries separating its wheels from the ground again.

[In_The_Wind]

6. This will be interesting to watch.

How do you fix a mess this big?

[dembotoz]

7. they all look alike to me

[The Straight Story]

9. Early reports back from the pilot on what he saw before landing

(not too obscure I hope)

[longship]

11. Twilight Zone. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" nt

[ChisolmTrailDem]

24. I recognized it too =) n/t

[longship]

10. McConnell AFB is right next to Boeing's Wichita plant.

The AFB shares their landing strip with Boeing. I worked at Boeing Wichita in the 80's when it was Boeing Military Airplane Company. All the buildings and the Tarmac to the left of the McConnell landing strip are Boeing facilities.

[MineralMan]

12. Oopsie.

Someone had to change underwear after that, and has an ass-kicking coming shortly.

[wandy]

13. It would be fun to watch them get that beast out of there..........

This beasty had more than enough runway and still it got harry......

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. Who is Harry?

And why was he in the way?

[wandy]

23. Oh my, I'd best be careful on this one less a jury gets involved....

It's not a who but rather a what.
Its that stuff growing on you're knuckles when you be flying by the seat of you're pants.
If ya mess up ya flip over and the stuff gonna get scraped off.
Septin we know knuckles usually don't grow hair. We'll leave that to John Boehner.
Ahmmm, Errrr. OK fine? OK fine.

The thread now has a link to a live feed. Happening SOON.
This otta be good.
In case
http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/cargo-jet-stuck-after-accidental-landing-at-wrong-wichita-airport/-/11664182/23083254/-/ip7glx/-/index.html

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. So...it got "hairy" not Harry, right? silly person. n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. It's getting ready to leave. Live video link below;

http://www.kmbc.com/news/kansas-city/cargo-jet-stuck-after-accidental-landing-at-wrong-wichita-airport/-/11664182/23083254/-/ip7glx/-/index.html

Scroll down for the live link.

[flamingdem]

18. So they're going to fly it 8 miles?

Hmm that'll be quick

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. If they drove it over, it would just piss people off.

[flamingdem]

20. I figured it would hit some utility poles n stuff

but if they can't get it off that runway, no other choice.

Pity the confused pilot. They're making jokes behind his back now..

[A HERETIC I AM]

22. If they did have to move it by land, the prep would take weeks and weeks.

And they would likely remove the wings.

But she'll be fine. She will get up.

[A HERETIC I AM]

26. She's up and gone. No problems. n/t

[liberal N proud]

28. That would have been neet to watch

[eppur_se_muova]

34. I thought there was some kind of ID# painted on each runway ...

just to prevent that sort of thing.

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. The numbers at the end of a runway denote compass heading.

Just add a zero, and you have the degrees on a compass.

You may have heard the expression "Nine Right" and "Two seven Left". At an airport that has parallel runways, those two designations would be for the same runway. Heading toward the East, your compass heading is 90 degrees. The runway will have a "9" painted on it. If it is 9 R, then there is by definition a 9 left. Head west and your compass will read 270 degrees. From this direction, the two runways have "27" painted on them and either an R or an L.

9R & 27L are therefore the exact same runway.

[eppur_se_muova]

36. Ah, thanks ...

guess they need to change that to "9R Col. James Jabara Airport" -- maybe there's not enough room.

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. As it turns out, the runway they were supposed to land at is 19/01

or 190 degrees/ 10 degrees at McConnell AFB. The one they landed on is 18/36.