Incident Details
On November 20, 2013, about 2120 central standard time, Atlas Air flight 4241, a Boeing 747-400 LCF (registration N780BA), mistakenly landed at Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO), Wichita, Kansas, about 9 miles north of its intended destination, McConnell Air Force Base (KIAB). The flight had been cleared to land on runway 19L at KIAB, which is 12,000 feet long; however, it landed on runway 18 at KAAO, which is 6,101 feet long. There were no injuries to the two pilots onboard and the aircraft was not damaged. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 121 as a cargo flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK), New York, New York. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Flight Sequence
The captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. While on the ground at KJFK, the captain preplanned the approach by loading the flight plan into the flight management computer and entering the RNAV GPS runway 19L approach. Prior to arrival, the captain briefed a visual approach to runway 19L backed up by the RNAV GPS approach.
At 2109, the crew contacted Wichita approach control and was told to expect runway 19L. About this time, the first officer's primary flight display (PFD) started to malfunction, requiring cross-reference with the captain's PFD.
At 2111:10, the flight crew requested to proceed direct to WITBA and conduct the RNAV 19L approach. The flight was cleared to descend to 4,000 feet. At 2114:00, the controller cleared the flight for the RNAV/GPS runway 19L approach. At 2118:45, the flight was instructed to contact McConnell tower. At 2119:05, the KIAB local controller cleared the flight to land on runway 19L, which the crew acknowledged. At 2120:38, according to radar data, the airplane landed at KAAO.
At 2121:42, the IAB local controller contacted the flight, stating, "…check wheels down and expect midfield turn off taxiway Delta." At 2121:51, the flight responded, "…4241 we might uh we'll get back to you here momentarily we're not on your approach." At 2122:09, flight 4241 indicated, "…uh yes sir we just landed at the other airport." During subsequent discussion, the flight crew initially thought they had landed at KBEC but determined they had landed at KAAO.
Personnel Information
The captain held an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with type ratings for B707, B727, B737, and B747-400. He had a first-class medical certificate dated August 12, 2013, with corrective lens limitation. He had about 20,000 total flight hours, 8,000 as pilot in command, and 10,000 hours in the B747 (1,460 as pilot in command). He had flown the incident airplane about 25 times with 150 hours.
The first officer held an FAA ATP certificate with type ratings for B747-400, B727, A300, BA3100, and SF340. He had a first-class medical certificate dated May 9, 2013, with corrective lens limitation. He had 11,861 total flight hours, 3,025 as pilot in command, and 2,096 in the B747-400.
Aircraft Information
The incident airplane, Boeing 747-LCF Dreamlifter N780BA, serial number 24310, was manufactured in 1990 and registered to Boeing Aircraft Holding Company, operated by Atlas Air under contract. It was converted to a Dreamlifter and issued an airworthiness certificate on June 2, 2007. It had a max weight of 800,000 pounds and could carry up to 87,346 lbs of cargo. At the time, the airplane had accumulated 71,751 flight hours as of its last inspection on September 9, 2013.
Meteorological Information
At 2120 at KAAO, winds were from the south-southeast at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear. At KIAB, winds were from the southeast at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear.
Airport Information
McConnell Air Force Base (KIAB) is located 4 miles south of Wichita, Kansas, elevation 1,371 feet. It has two runways: 1L/19R and 1R/19L, each 12,000 feet long. Runway 19L has a 4-light PAPI with a 3.00-degree glide path and an ALSF1 approach lighting system.
Colonel James Jabara Airport (KAAO) is located 9 miles northeast of Wichita, Kansas, elevation 1,421 feet. It has a single runway 18/36, 6,101 feet long and 100 feet wide. Runway 18 has a 4-light PAPI with a 3.00-degree glide path and a MALSR approach lighting system.
Flight Crew Interviews
Both pilots stated they were aware of the NOTAM that runway 1L/19R at KIAB was closed. The captain briefed a visual approach to KIAB runway 19L, backed up by the RNAV GPS approach. He noted that he had flown the approach at least three times and expected to be high on profile. He also briefed that acquiring the runway visually at McConnell was not easy unless lights were bright. The captain recalled including a caution about the close proximity of three other airports, but the first officer did not remember that caution or the altitude restriction at WARUN. Neither pilot remembered briefing the approach light configuration.
The first officer reported that his PFD malfunctioned around the time they contacted Wichita approach, causing him to cross-reference with the captain's PFD. The KIAB airport was not displayed on the captain's Navigation Display because the range was set to 5 NM, too short to show the airport. Both pilots stated a well-lit runway was visible in the approximate location of KIAB, which they believed to be runway 19L. The captain disconnected the autopilot, discontinued the RNAV approach, and began a slightly steeper visual approach. After being cleared to land, neither pilot referenced the RNAV approach navigational information.
Post-Incident Actions
On March 26, 2014, the NTSB issued a Safety Alert on wrong airport landings in response to this and another similar incident. On May 4, 2015, the NTSB issued Safety Recommendations A-15-9 and A-15-10 to the FAA in response to this and four other similar incidents.