Video: C-17 Accidentally Lands at Small GA Airport

Bethany Whitfield

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 10:14 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A C-17 Globemaster III transport plane inadvertently landed at the much smaller Peter O. Knight GA airport instead of MacDill Air Force Base.
The very large aircraft, carrying 42 people, landed on a 3,405-foot runway, stopping just 10 feet from its end.
After hours spent lightening its load, the C-17 successfully took off from the small airport later that evening with a new crew.
Air Force officials are investigating the incident, and local residents noted this is not the first time Peter O. Knight has been confused for MacDill.

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A C-17 Globemaster III headed for MacDill Air Force Base on Friday afternoon landed “inadvertently” at the much smaller Peter O. Knight GA airport located just a few miles away, according to airport authorities.

The 174-foot-long transport touched down on the airport’s 3,405-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway around 1:30 p.m., coming to a stop within 10 feet of the runway’s end, according to witnesses. The C-17 had flown in from Southwest Asia with 42 people on board, 19 of whom were crewmembers. View a shaky video capturing the landing below.