RE: Worst accident in aviation history narrowly averted
July 11, 2017 at 11:08 pm
(This post was last modified: July 11, 2017 at 11:15 pm by johan.)
Anecdotal true story time. Back in my pilot days, I did a lot of flying out of Atlantic City International. The Atlantic City Race Track, a thoroughbred horse track, sits about 2 miles from the airport. More than one pilot has approached the airport at night, reported having the runway lights in sight and then discontinued the approach on short final because they saw horses on what they thought was the runway.
Right at the end of my pilot days, I was a participant in a research study conducted at the aforementioned Atlantic City International. Study participants would pilot a light twin on multiple approaches to the runway at night. The pilot was briefed before the flight that several approaches to the runway would be flown, but under no circumstances would they land. A go-around was pre-planned for every approach. However on each approach, the pilot would visually access the runway and say out loud either I feel the runway is clear and safe to land on or I feel the runway is not clear and unsafe to land on.
That was the test. The plane we flew was equipped with tons of cameras and sensors which recorded the view ahead, the pilot flying. Also I wore a device which recorded exactly where my eyes where looking at every moment. A couple guys in the back of the plane monitored these cameras and sensors.
Like I said, all I had to do was fly the approach and say out loud whether or not I would feel safe continuing the approach and then we'd go around and fly another approach. If I recall correctly, on all but one of the approaches, I said I would have landed.
What I didn't know until after the test was that every time I flew the approach there was a 727 sitting on the end of the runway ready for takeoff. On some approaches, they had their landing lights on, on other approaches, they had their landing lights off (it was a study to determine whether landing lights should be required to be on when planes were positioned on the runway).
I would have continued all but one of the approaches. But here's the interesting thing. After the flight I was talking with the scientist who was monitoring the cameras and sensors in the back of the plane. He said that he was shocked because on every single approach we flew, he could clearly see the 727 sitting on the runway in his camera monitors and yet there I was saying I see nothing and I would continue the approach. He said he was beginning to think that I was just being an asshole and purposely trying to fuck up their test. Then on next approach he's sitting there clearly seeing the 727 in his camera monitor just as I said that I saw nothing and would continue the approach so he decided to look up over my shoulder. He said it was amazing because when he looked out the windshield, the 727 wasn't there and runway looked completely clear. He looked back at the camera feed he could still see it plain as day. Look out
the windshield and it's gone, look back at the screen and there it is just like always. Light and glare can do funky things in the windshield of an airplane.
So these AirCanada guys lined up on the taxiway instead of the runway and then started wondering about the strange lights there were seeing. I'm not shocked. They questioned ATC about it and ATC said there aren't any lights, you're crazy go ahead and land asshole. Then a pilot in one of the other planes said not for nothing but this asshole is going to land on us and then and only then did ATC say ok go around. Like I said earlier, I can't wait to see how this plays out when those towers are staffed by the lowest bidder.
Right at the end of my pilot days, I was a participant in a research study conducted at the aforementioned Atlantic City International. Study participants would pilot a light twin on multiple approaches to the runway at night. The pilot was briefed before the flight that several approaches to the runway would be flown, but under no circumstances would they land. A go-around was pre-planned for every approach. However on each approach, the pilot would visually access the runway and say out loud either I feel the runway is clear and safe to land on or I feel the runway is not clear and unsafe to land on.
That was the test. The plane we flew was equipped with tons of cameras and sensors which recorded the view ahead, the pilot flying. Also I wore a device which recorded exactly where my eyes where looking at every moment. A couple guys in the back of the plane monitored these cameras and sensors.
Like I said, all I had to do was fly the approach and say out loud whether or not I would feel safe continuing the approach and then we'd go around and fly another approach. If I recall correctly, on all but one of the approaches, I said I would have landed.
What I didn't know until after the test was that every time I flew the approach there was a 727 sitting on the end of the runway ready for takeoff. On some approaches, they had their landing lights on, on other approaches, they had their landing lights off (it was a study to determine whether landing lights should be required to be on when planes were positioned on the runway).
I would have continued all but one of the approaches. But here's the interesting thing. After the flight I was talking with the scientist who was monitoring the cameras and sensors in the back of the plane. He said that he was shocked because on every single approach we flew, he could clearly see the 727 sitting on the runway in his camera monitors and yet there I was saying I see nothing and I would continue the approach. He said he was beginning to think that I was just being an asshole and purposely trying to fuck up their test. Then on next approach he's sitting there clearly seeing the 727 in his camera monitor just as I said that I saw nothing and would continue the approach so he decided to look up over my shoulder. He said it was amazing because when he looked out the windshield, the 727 wasn't there and runway looked completely clear. He looked back at the camera feed he could still see it plain as day. Look out
the windshield and it's gone, look back at the screen and there it is just like always. Light and glare can do funky things in the windshield of an airplane.
So these AirCanada guys lined up on the taxiway instead of the runway and then started wondering about the strange lights there were seeing. I'm not shocked. They questioned ATC about it and ATC said there aren't any lights, you're crazy go ahead and land asshole. Then a pilot in one of the other planes said not for nothing but this asshole is going to land on us and then and only then did ATC say ok go around. Like I said earlier, I can't wait to see how this plays out when those towers are staffed by the lowest bidder.
