rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

It's too bad the Air Force doesn't treat wrong airport landings the same as the Navy treats wrong carrier landings. I can just imagine what that commercial aircraft would look like.

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/delta-plane-mistakenly-lands-at-ellsworth-air-force-base/article_90acc03e-593c-57ba-99f2-50b8722f37e8.html

--Bob

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I learned to fly in Illinois, one day a student pilot was talking to Dupage tower while landing at Ohare! Caused a lot of re-direction of all those big airplanes. Ohare tower finally got ahold of him via radio, and they gave him vectors talked to him all the way back to the runway of Dupage. "Please confirm that you are on the ground now kid".

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

One of those tense moments in the day to day workings of ATC.
--Bob

tramsey Loc: Texas

This happens more than you think. I was with a friend flying from one place to another. We started coming into the right landing strip but from the wrong direction. The controller jumped all over us in no uncertain terms and then took us by the hand till we were down, embarrassing for my friend.

I wonder where the controller was at Ellsworth? Isn't that part of his job to keep unwanted craft away?

f8bengal Loc: West Nawth Carolinah

Way back there was a commercial 707 aiming for Columbus, OH and put it down at the Ohio State strip. Almost had to take that plane apart to get it out. (I think those are the right locations.)

dakotacheryl Loc: Near Mt Rushmore

I live in the Rapid City area...my husband and I were surprised to hear that Ellsworth would allow a commercial plane to land there!!

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Wow - didn't the copilot check his iPhone Maps to see where they were? Any of the passengers could have advised the pilots that they weren't at the right airport! Oh - that's right - they all had to put their phones in "Airplane Mode" before they took off!

f8bengal Loc: West Nawth Carolinah

No doubt it was a perfectly clear day, and pilot was depending on visual rather than instruments. "Yep, I see it" and down he goes (before the security could shoot it down!). Had it been a completely lousy day, instruments would have put him on the right approach path.

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

ghill42 Loc: Colorado

Not a common event but it happens. The point being is that it's a very serious and dangerous error that immediately grounds the flight deck crew committing the error. And it's expensive for the airline. Passengers have to be bussed out and accommodated accordingly. A replacement crew has to be flown in to retrieve the aircraft. Most likely the schedule for the aircraft is severely disrupted, along with all the operational requirements that go with it. The grounded crew is off the line, with pay, but nonproductive until they complete correctional training. Not a fun time for the airline's flight operations department.

imntrt1 Loc: St. Louis

It happens much more frequently than we think.....Many of these are in areas where there are airports similar in configuration to each other, i.e. runway directions on the same compass heading, etc. I have never landed at the wrong airport but I was going into Springfield, Illinois one time and it is configured with numerous runways which all intersect in the middle.....Anyway, the runway numbers were almost all obscured by tire skid marks from numerous landings.....I was cleared to land, and while on final I asked the controller if I was inbound to the correct runway....His response was, "No, but you're cleared to land on that one anyway." I'm sure some veteran pilots that heard that got a chuckle out of it.....I was a red faced student pilot that day.....I told my instructor about it when I returned to my home airport an he just said, "Those controllers up there are used to student pilots."

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Ha ha I like that, "no but your cleared to land anyway" that is a good story. Many years ago in my private pilot flying days I got lost at Ohare one dark and stormy night trying to find my way to the runway. I called ground control and confessed my predicament. They were very professional, 'make a 180', they said and then they gave me 'vectors' to the runway.