The pilots who landed a Southwest Airlines plane at the wrong airport have explained the mistake. They simply told investigators that they mistook the bright lights of the smaller Missouri airport for their intended destination of Branson Airport.
The pilots, who have been suspended since the incident, told the National Transportation Safety Board, that they didn't realize that they had landed at the wrong airport until they landed on Sunday night. They had to heavily brake to not overshoot the shorter-than expected runway with the Boeing 737-700 carrying 124 passengers, Reuters reports.
The pilots had actually landed the plane at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport instead of at Branson Airport. Branson is the main airport for the region and has a much longer runway. The airports are seven miles from each other.
The main pilot has worked for Southwest for 15 years and has about 16,000 hours of flight experience, yet it was his first time flying into Branson. The co-pilot has been with Southwest since 2001. He said that it was only his second flight into Branson, but the first time he went there, it was during daylight hours.
The pilots confirmed that the approach was programmed into the plane's flight management system but the bright runway lights of Clark Downtown Airport caught them off guard and they proceeded with a visual approach into the incorrect airport, thinking it was Branson.
The flight had left from Chicago Midway Airport on Sunday. It was heading to Dallas Love Field with a stop in Branson. The Missouri city is a popular music and tourist destination.
When the plane landed at the airport, the passengers had to be transported by ground to the correct airport. They then had to be flown to Dallas on another plane later on Sunday.
After landing at the wrong airport, the passengers were taken by ground transportation to the correct airport and then flown to Dallas on another jet later on Sunday. The airline apologized to the passengers and refunded their tickets as well as gave the travel credits.
The incident is continuing to be investigated by the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration.
"Safety remains our top priority; once we receive the final NTSB report, we will conduct a thorough review,"Southwest said according to Reuters.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
