Looks like next issue of AW&ST is going into more detail. Their teaser on it:
The pilots of a landing Air Canada Airbus A320 that nearly plowed into several aircraft on a taxiway waiting to depart the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) around midnight July 7 were visually confused by the runway lighting at the airport, according to an NTSB investigative update on the incident. Air Canada Flight 759, cleared for a visual approach to land on Runway 28R at the airport, was lined up on the parallel taxiway to the right of the runway and descended . . .
And a comment from one of the great unwashed masses:
Uh...the tail of a 787 is 55', and the A320 got down as low as 59'? Yikes!
And:
I wish I could share twenty years' worth of letters and e-mails to the FAA about airport lighting and signage. It is confusing, often using the same color lighting, markings and lines or many different ever changing versions of them. It is not intuitive and makes for confusion.
When I have complained I get sometimes an arrogant response from the guy who has been in charge way too long.
He keeps defending his markings and lighting and we keep getting runway incursions and near disasters like this. The FAA refuses to admit when it's wrong and even after a potential catastrophe it will likely just add another layer of confusion.
Not excusing the failure to use the localizer as a runway guide if so, but this pilot isn't the first and won't be the last to make such a mistake.
The pilots of a landing Air Canada Airbus A320 that nearly plowed into several aircraft on a taxiway waiting to depart the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) around midnight July 7 were visually confused by the runway lighting at the airport, according to an NTSB investigative update on the incident. Air Canada Flight 759, cleared for a visual approach to land on Runway 28R at the airport, was lined up on the parallel taxiway to the right of the runway and descended . . .
And a comment from one of the great unwashed masses:
Uh...the tail of a 787 is 55', and the A320 got down as low as 59'? Yikes!
And:
I wish I could share twenty years' worth of letters and e-mails to the FAA about airport lighting and signage. It is confusing, often using the same color lighting, markings and lines or many different ever changing versions of them. It is not intuitive and makes for confusion.
When I have complained I get sometimes an arrogant response from the guy who has been in charge way too long.
He keeps defending his markings and lighting and we keep getting runway incursions and near disasters like this. The FAA refuses to admit when it's wrong and even after a potential catastrophe it will likely just add another layer of confusion.
Not excusing the failure to use the localizer as a runway guide if so, but this pilot isn't the first and won't be the last to make such a mistake.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
