"Jet Lands on Sea-Tac Taxiway"

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

FAA investigates errant plane
BY JOHN GILLIE
The Tacoma (WA) News Tribune


Federal aviation authorities are investigating why an American Airlines
jetliner with 111 on board landed on a Sea-Tac Airport taxiway - instead of
a runway - earlier this month.

American Flight 1763, an MD-80 twin jet from Dallas, landed on taxiway C in
clear weather at 4:21 p.m. March 15, the Federal Aviation Administration
acknowledged this week.

FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said the FAA's Flight Standards Office is
investigating the incident, which caused no injuries to the passengers or to
the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it too has launched an
investigation of the errant landing.

Taxiway C is west of Sea-Tac's two active runways. Fortunately for those
aboard the flight, the taxiway, which was built to serve the incomplete
third Sea-Tac runway, has infrequent aircraft or vehicular traffic.

The taxiway serves aircraft storage sites on the airport's west side and a
Weyerhaeuser Co. corporate aircraft hangar.

The taxiway parallels the existing runways and matches the west runway's
9,500-foot length.

Sea-Tac spokesman Bob Parker said that after the incident, airport crews
checked the visual markings on both the taxiway and the nearby runway,
16R-35L. Both the runway and the taxiway were properly marked.

American Airlines spokeswoman Tara Baten said the airline likewise is
investigating the landing.

"We're doing an investigation. There's not much else I can say about it,"
she said.

She declined to disclose the status of the flight crew or to speculate why
they landed on a taxiway that was clearly marked.

Runways have special markings and lighting, including numbers that clearly
indicate their designation.

In addition to the clear markings, runways typically sport characteristic
black tire marks where landing aircraft tires contact the pavement. Because
it is a new taxiway, taxiway C is still light-colored concrete.

In recent years, the mistaken identification of taxiways and runways has
caused particular concern in the aviation community.

As recently as last year in Anchorage, for instance, a China Airlines A-340
jet mistakenly took off from a taxiway instead of an adjacent runway.

The jet barely lifted off by the end of the 6,800-foot taxiway, leaving tire
tracks in a snow berm at the taxiway's end. The plane and its passengers
escaped injury.

In October 2000, a Singapore Airlines 747 crashed, killing 83, when the
pilots mistook a closed runway for the runway they were supposed to use for
takeoff.

The plane crashed into construction equipment midway down the closed runway.

Attached Photo:

Sea-Tac Incident Graphic

taxiway_landing.jpg