Thanks for your comments. However, my point is not that the landing performance was affected – and I am completely aware of the taxiway being used as a runway in the days leading up to the incident. But, one aircraft out of how many failed to land on the correct landing strip?! To my knowledge – just this one. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong….

If you had read correctly, I also pointed my finger at ATC. The link to the article that you procided even states that this was being treated as a serious incident. I simply stated that the authorities were investigating the lack of preparedness of the flight crew – which is fact.

I am not one to create unnecessary panic. I offer a free help website for those with a fear of flying, so that was never my intention.

There was ongoing maintenance on the runway, so the taxiway was used BY ALL ARRIVING aircraft as a runway until 4 DAYS BEFORE the incident.That taxiway and runway have the same lenght and there is no risk associated with the use of one or the other regarding landing performance of the aircrafts…

The approach charts that the pilots used were not updated (there is a standard update cycle every 28 days) and the notification of the switch between taxiway and runway (notam)was simply overlooked by the airline’s dispatchers prior to the beginning of the flight…

So I shall repeat myself.. just don’t contribute to create unnecessary panic in aviation and remember that every accident is simply a chain of events and the pilots are not necessarily the ones to blame!

http://www.avherald.com/h?article=417f434b&opt=4864

Will definitely save your email address for future use!

I just discovered you blog and read your post, and since I’m an air traffic controller, I just wanted to give you my five cents on the story…

All you said here above is absolutely right. I just wanted to add that, even with bad air traffic control exists (indeed, that happens, sometimes some stupid persons get through the selection net, or the controller can have a bad day, be overworked, etc.), the pilot-in-command keeps the final word. And moreover, whatever the type of approach chosen or forced upon him, there is always a point in the descent where the pilot has to have the runway in sight (if he has no visual reference he has to start of missed approach procedure, i.e. climbing to a safer altitude and starting the approach again) and from the point where he’s visual with the runway, ATC has no influence on his landing. There are exceptions, but nothing could explain the ATC responsibility when landing on a taxiway.

However, bad ATC could contribute to increase pilot’s fatigue, loss of situation awareness, confusion in the cockpit, things like that.

On the other side, an experienced air traffic controller can usually see, just by looking outside from the tower cab, if an aircraft is correctly established on final (let alone if the controller is equipped with a radar) and inform the pilot or directly instruct him to go-around.

There are quite of few stories as well of pilots seeing some lights neatly arranged in a row (like an highway, or a road) and thinking this is the runway there looking for. (Ever had a 747 land on your roof ?)

(BTW, don’t hesitate to mail me if there’s ever anything that bugs you about ATC…)

Either way though, the pilots still made an error – and one that should be thoroughly investigated…..