Oct 31, 2006 5:37 pm US/Eastern
FAA Investigates Why Jet Missed Runway in N.J.
Newark-Bound Jet Lands On Taxiway
by Christine Sloan
NEWARK, N.J. (CBS/AP) ―
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The Continental jet landed on a taxiway, seen here to the right of one of the main runways at Newark Liberty International Airport.
CBS
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Continental Airlines issued this statement after one of its planes landed on a taxiway at Newark Liberty airport.
CBS
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The FAA wants to know why a Continental plane landed on a taxiway. (File photo)
CBS
Continental Airlines has temporarily grounded a flight crew who landed on a taxiway instead of a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport.
On Saturday evening, Continental Flight 1883 was heading to Newark from Florida. It was supposed to land on a runway like all jetliners do, but instead it touched down on a taxiway, according to Port Authority officials.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says all navigational equipment and lights at the airport were working.
Jim Peters said runways are edged in white lights, and have white lights down the center. Taxiways are bordered by blue lights, and have green lights down the center.
The plane skirted just feet away from administration buildings that line the taxiway. None of the 157 passengers and six crewmembers were injured when the plane landed at 6:31 p.m. Saturday.
Russ Halleran of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says taxiways sometimes have planes, vehicles or personnel on them. They're also half as wide as runways.
The Boeing 757-200 should have landed on Runway 29, the shortest of the airport's three runways, but instead touched down on Taxiway Z, which is parallel to the runway, said Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA is "investigating it as a (possible) pilot deviation" from proper safety procedures, Peters said.
Experts told CBS 2 that they are baffled how the pilot, responsible for 157 passengers, could have mistaken a taxiway for a runway.
--A runway is well lighted with white lights.
--A taxiway has blue lights and usually those lights don't go on during daylight hours.
--The taxiway is 70-feet wide.
--Runway 29 is 150-feet wide.
--Sunset was at 5:58 p.m., but it wasn't completely dark at the time.
--The rain had stopped, but the winds were fierce.
Could that have played a factor? A retired safety investigator told CBS 2 "No."
An experienced pilot that retired with Continental Airlines (which has a hub in Newark) should be quite familiar with this airport, he said.
The FAA will be examining the plane's cockpit voice recorder. After all, there were other crewmembers on that flight, including the co-pilot.
For now, officials told CBS 2 that the pilot and the co-pilot have been temporarily removed from their duties as the FAA investigates.
The matter is so serious that the pilots could face fines and even have their licenses taken away.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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