Yikes: Delta Regional Jet Was Landing At LaGuardia — The Wrong Controller Asks, “Where Are You?”

On March 15, Delta Air lines flight 5752 operated by Republic Airways took off from Washington National airport and was approaching New York LaGuardia. They were intructed to contact tower, but pilots contacted the wrong Tower. The Embraer E-170 went to the frequency for JFK instead.

• They should have picked New York LaGuardia Tower at 118.7
  
• In context, it appears they instead chose JFK Tower 119.1

LaGuardia approach said “contact tower” without giving the frequency. Tthe crew selected the wrong tower and reached JFK. JFK was working other traffic, and then gave the Republic flight a landing clearance. Only after the controller asked where they were did this fully register, umm, “This is Kennedy Tower.” The crew replied with surprise and then went around.

They were at the right airport. They weren’t lined up for New York JFK – but that’s whom they were talking to.

Pilot: LaGuardia Tower, Brickyard 5752, ILS 4

[JFK Tower works American 274 from Los Angeles actually arriving at JFK]

LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752, LaGuardia Tower, wind is at 120 at 4, runway 4 cleared to land, traffic departs north 13.

LaGuardia Tower: (After receiving no response.) Brickyard 5752, Tower.

Pilot: Tower, 5752, confirm, cleared to land 4?

JFK Tower: That’s, uh, who?

Pilot: Brickyard 5752.

LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752, LaGuardia Tower.

JFK Tower: Brickyard 5752. I’m sorry, where are you?

Pilot: 2-mile final, Brickyard 5752.

JFK Tower: 2-mile final where?

Pilot: Runway 4.

JFK Tower: At LaGuardia?

Pilot: Yes ma’am.

JFK Tower: This is Kennedy Tower, please, go to LaGuardia Tower.

Pilot: Oh my goodness. Alright.

Unknown: That’s crazy.

LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752.

Pilot: Yeah, 5752, we’re going around.

The cockpit selected the wrong frequency even though the correct LGA tower frequency would have been on the approach chart. The pilots were at fault here.

But approach omitted the actual tower frequency. That removed a redundancy layer. Controllers aren’t actually required to say the frequency that the flight should switch to. If the controller expects the pilot to know which frequency is in use, they don’t have to spell it out. “Contact tower” is standard. But “Contact tower at 118.7” would have been far better in this case. Crowded New York airspace with numerous possible airports and frequencies is where you might want this to be the standard.

I did like a couple of online comments I saw on this:

“I’m at 3rd and Main”
“Sesame Street; can you tell me how to get?”

So that Delta regional flight got to short final at LaGuardia while in communication with the wrong tower, and made it through several transmissions before realizing it. That could have been bad if LaGuardia had needed to give them instructions on the runway environment. The good news, and why folks can joke about this, is because the flight went around and continued without issue.

That’s much better than when an American Airlines regional jet actually landed on the wrong runway at Chicago O’Hare, and when this plane headed for Tampa lined up with a military base instead.

(HT: Cheryl)