FAA Targets Incorrect Surface Landings

On July 7, 2017, an Airbus A320 operating as a scheduled Air Canada passenger flight and conducting a night visual approach to Runway 28R at the San Francisco International Airport overflew other airliners positioned on a taxiway and awaiting takeoff clearance. As we wrote in our October 2017 issue, Runway 28L was closed at the time; its lighting was turned off and a 20.5-ft-wide lighted flashing X (runway closure marker) was at its threshold. The Airbus lined up for its landing on parallel Taxiway C, which had four air carrier airplanes on it awaiting takeoff clearance-a Boeing 787, an Airbus A340, another Boeing 787 and a Boeing 737. Subsequent investigation reveals the Airbus crew advanced its thrust levers for a go-around when the airplane was about 85 feet above the taxiway; the minimum altitude recorded on the FDR once the go-around was initiated was 59 feet agl. The Boeing 787 is 55 feet 10 inches high.

Monday, October 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

An Air Canada flight nearly landed on a busy taxiway with four airliners instead of a closed runway at San Francisco International Airport in 2017, highlighting a critical safety failure.
The FAA responded to this "extreme example of incorrect surface approaches" by issuing Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO 17010) to raise awareness among flight crews.
The SAFO emphasizes best practices such as maintaining a stabilized approach and utilizing published approach technology (e.g., ILS, RNAV) even during visual conditions to support pilot decisions.
Effective Cockpit/Crew Resource Management (CRM) and the readiness to execute an early go-around are also highlighted as crucial strategies for preventing wrong-surface landings.

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On July 7, 2017, an Airbus A320 operating as a scheduled Air Canada passenger flight and conducting a night visual approach to Runway 28R at the San Francisco International Airport overflew other airliners positioned on a taxiway and awaiting takeoff clearance. As we wrote in our October 2017 issue, “Runway 28L was closed at the time; its lighting was turned off and a 20.5-ft-wide lighted flashing X (runway closure marker) was at its threshold. The Airbus lined up for its landing on parallel Taxiway C, which had four air carrier airplanes on it awaiting takeoff clearance—a Boeing 787, an Airbus A340, another Boeing 787 and a Boeing 737. Subsequent investigation reveals the Airbus crew advanced its thrust levers for a go-around when the airplane was about 85 feet above the taxiway; the minimum altitude recorded on the FDR once the go-around was initiated was 59 feet agl. The Boeing 787 is 55 feet 10 inches high.”

Understandably, the NTSB and FAA have spent considerable resources investigating this event. Among those efforts, the FAA has published a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO 17010) it hopes will increase awareness among crews of all aircraft types of the “importance of employing best practices for successful approaches and landings to the correct airport and runway.” The SAFO highlights five basic areas it believes can not only prevent similar events but also help minimize the likelihood of landing on the wrong surface.